AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HEATING STEAM GENERATORS BY MEANS OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Friedrich Carl Glaser at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th December 1883. Communicated
to him by Heinrich Hempel, a person residing at Leipsic in the kingdom of
Saxony and German Empire.
"
FRIEDRICH CARL GLASER of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of
Germany, Engineer and Patent Solicitor. AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND
APPARATUS FOR HEATING STEAM GENERATORS BY MEANS OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS
"
[communicated to him by Heinrich Hempel, a person residing at Leipsic in the
kingdom of Saxony and Germain Empire]
This invention has for its object to effect the heating of steam generators and in
particular the boilers of locomotive engines, entirely by electricity. The necessary
current in such last named application being produced by driving the armature
of a dynamo-electric machine or current generator on the engine, tender, or
carriages from one of the axles thereof. The current so produced is utilised partly
directly in heating the boiler and partly for charging accumulators by means of
which the quantity of steam to be generated can be regulated at will.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews diagrammatically a side view of a
locomotive engine, tender, and carriage with the said invention applied thereto, and
Figs. 2 and 2 shew plans. The apparatus required for this purpose consists firstly
of one or more electrical current generators A, below the carriage and tender, the
armature of which generator receives rotary motion by means of an endless pitch
chain and pitch wheels from the axle B; secondly, of a commutator C above each
generator, so arranged that it may be adjusted to the required position from either
side of the carriage, and which is connected to the insulated conducting wires
D D'; thirdly, of the couplings E and E' serving to connect the conducting wires
between the carriages; fourthly of a second commutator F on the tender; fifthly,
of the accumulators G carried by the tender or the carriage; sixthly, of a main
commutator H, feed water heater I and steam boiler K, the former having within
it the beating body L serving as rheostat, and the latter having the heating
body M.
Fig. 3 shews a diagram of the above described several parts and their connections,
the same letters of reference being used as in Figs. 1 and 2. Each commutator

page_text: consists of an axis a of non-conducting material (shewn in section at Figs. 4 and 5)
on which are fixed two segments b and c of conducting material, which segments
are turned by means of the axis a so as either to make or break contact with the
contact segments d e and f of the cylinder C. g indicates the direction of the
current from the electrical generator A and h the direction of the current to the
terminals in the boiler. The contact between the terminal screws of the current
generator and the commutator is so arranged that in the direction towards the
engine the positive current is always to the right, and the negative current always
to the left as at Fig. 2ª. Fig. 4 shews the position of the commutator when the
current generator below the same is in contact therewith, and Fig. 5 shews the
position when the generator is out of contact. In the latter case the rotation of
the armature is stopped by means of a stopping lever.
It will be seen from the above that the commutator consists of two commutating
devices combined on one and the same axis, of which that on the right hand
always conducts the positive current, and that on the left hand the negative
current. If the handle x Fig. 1 of the commutator is directed towards the engine
(Fig. 5) the respective current generator is out of contact with the conductor; if
the handle be turned downwards (Fig. 4) the said generator is in contact with the
conductor and consequently with the boiler. The conductor couplings E and E¹
(Fig. 6) consist of copper links w connected closely together and are situated on
each side of the carriage coupling as at Figs. 2 and 2, being connected to the
conducting wires D and D¹ by means of the screw connections S Fig. 6. The
couplings are enclosed in an insulating covering.
The commutator F Fig. 1 on the tender has for its object to lead the main
current and the current from the tender generator either separately or combined to
the accumulator or to the feed water heater, or to the engine boiler; between this
commutator and the accumulators may be arranged a self acting switch, which
shews when the accumulators are charged. The main commutator H on the engine
enables the main current or the current from the tender generator to be directed
either to the heating body L or to M, or to both, and enables also the heat of the
body M and the duration of the discharge of the accumulators to be regulated as
will be presently described. The heating bodies L and M are constructed as
follows: Upon the manhole cover m Fig. 7 is fixed a porcellain slab n having
annular projections o (Fig. 8) of which 6 are shewn by way of example. To each
ring are attached a number of porcellain rods p by means of copper cramps q, two
rods being secured by one cramp, so that the resistance coils of nickel or other
suitable metal upon these two rods are both in electrical connection with each other.
With this arrangement if, for example, the positive current enters at s Fig: 7, it
passes upward through coil 1, through the cramp 2 and through coil 3 downwards,
and so on through all the coils, passing off at t Fig. 8. Each group of coils is again
connected at top by porcellain rings and copper cramps q¹ Fig. 7. The connection
between the separate groups of coils is effected by contacts x Fig. 8. The arrows
Figs. 7 and 8 shew the direction of the current.
As shewn at Fig. 9, three wires pass from the commutator H to the principal
heating body, and the driver can, at will, lead the current through one or other of
these wires. If he lets the current through the wire s, it enters at s passes
through all the coils and passes off at t. If he lets the current pass through s¹ it
only passes through the four groups of coils 1, 2, 3, 4. Fig. 8. If on the other
hand he passes the current through s², it only passes through two groups 3 and 4.
The described arrangement of the rheostat and of the regulation of the terminal
wires is of importance with reference to the following laws:-
1. The duration of the discharge of the accumulators is dependent upon the
length of the wire terminal, the increase of which causes a retardation of the
discharge.
2. The quantity of heat developed in a given time is proportional to the resistance
. լ

page_text: 3, The resistance of the circuit is directly proportional to its length and the
resistance of the material of which it is composed.
The conducting wires S are led through a tubular projection on the man hole
cover, on the end of which is screwed a cap i between which and the end of la
caoutchouc packing v is inserted thereby forming a watertight joint.
Referring to the diagram Fig. 3, the electric current from the generators A is
first led to the commutator F by means of which the driver can lead the main
current coming from the carriage generator either entirely into the accumulators G
or entirely into the heaters L and M or in certain proportions both into the
accumulators and into the heaters. The current from the tender generator can be
passed either into the accumulators or into the heaters. The commutator H
permits of the current being passed either directly into the heater M, or first
through the rheostat L, and also determines a long or short circuit in the heater.
This arrangement for regulating the current is necessary on account of the
intensity of the current varying according to the power and number of the
generators.
In order that the resistance in the current generators may not be too great when
the resistance in the heater M is decreased, the rheostat L is arranged to serve as
compensator, as the currents sometimes vary considerably. If the electro-motive
forces of the generators are not equal, the stronger current would, under certain
circumstances, pass partly into the weaker generator, and counteract its effect. To
prevent this, according to Gramme, all the coils of the electro-magnets are
connected only to one contact brush, the second brush being connected directly to
the pole screw, and also by a wire u, the arrangement of which is shewn at Fig. 2.
This wire is connected to the ordinary coupling K¹ at r, whereby the connection
with the other generators is established. The mode of working is as follows:-At
the end station of the line is a stationary or portable boiler from which the
locomotive boiler, after being charged with water, is charged to the requisite extent
with steam to enable the engine to start the train. Or in place hereof steam may
be generated in the locomotive by stationary electric current generators. The
train being started, the generators under the carriages will produce the necessary
currents which, at the will of the engine driver, can be admitted to the heater M
so as to heat the coils thereof to incandescence and thus raise the requisite steam
in the boiler for driving the engine. Should the amount of heat generated be
more than is required, then part of the current may be led into the accumulators,
or into the heater L, for heating the feed water.
As the intensity of current will increase with the speed of the engine, a
corresponding increase in the production of steam will be effected. The heating
power will also be increased as the number of carriages in the train is increased,
each of which is provided with a generator.
When the direction of the train is reversed, the engine remaining in its original
position, the connections of the current generators are simply reversed by means of
a lever, but if the position of the engine on the train is also reversed, the driver sets
the commutator on the tender so that the positive current still maintains its former
direction through the heater, the contacts being so arranged as to effect a crossing
of the currents, as shewn at Fig. 10.
As by means of the heater L steam may be raised in the feed water chamber I at
the same pressure as that in the main boiler, the former is connected to the latter
by means of a pipe having a valve by which the steam may be allowed to pass
from the one into the other; or such steam might pass directly to the engine.
The current generator may also be in part utilised for illuminating the train
at night.
As the exhaust steam from the cylinders is not required for producing draught,
it may be led into the feed water heating chamber, to assist in heating the feed
water.
The current generators may also be made to furnish the requisite power for
Pauline the L

page_text: The above described method of heating steam boilers by electricity may also be
applied to stationary boilers, the current generators being actuated by wind or
water power.
Thus a natural head of water might be utilised by applying it to
work a motor engine which in its turn would drive a current generator, the
conductors of which may then be led in various directions to heat steam boilers in
different factories.
As it is a well known fact that electricity cannot be converted into motive
power without loss, but can be converted into heat with comparatively little loss,
the above mode of utilising the current generated in the first instance will be more
advantageous than by reconverting the current into motive power by electro-
dynamic machines.