Improvements in Methods of Regulating the Distribution of Electricity, and in Converting its Energy into that of Light.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1894-Accepted, 19th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Methods of Regulating the Distribution of
Electricity, and in Converting its Energy into that of
Light.
I, REGINALD WOOD of 17 Gower Street London, W.C. Electrical Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My present invention consists in using balancing dynamotors for the purpose of
driving series machines in the feeders, and in placing in the path of a current
through a conducting gas a substance which will absorb the heat generated by the
passage of the current through such a resistance, & transform it into light.
The balancing dynamotors may be combined with engines & motors for the
above purpose. The varying power required by the series machines may be
furnished by coupling or uncoupling mechanically engines, balancing machines or
motors, or by letting them run idle when not required to furnish power.
Compound machines may act as back electromotive force in home feeders & acting
as motors supply part of the power for compound machines in far feeders, the rest
of the power required being supplied by constant speed machines, the station
dynamos running at constant volts in both cases.
A balancing dynamotor, on for instance a 5-wire system of 400 volts, consists of
4 similar compound machines, each of 100 volts, one on each 100 volt circuit, the
armatures being mechanically coupled. The use of the machine is to take the
excess of the current supplied by the 400 volt station source over that required
by any circuit or circuits, and to furnish the excess of the current required by the
other circuit or circuits over that supplied by the 400 volt source.
Dated this Fourth day of July 1893.
REGINALD WOOD.
Improvements in Methods of Regulating the Distribution of
Electricity, and in Converting its Energy into that of
Light.
I, REGINALD WOOD, of 17 Gower Street, London W.C. Electrical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My present invention relates to the use, in electrical distributing systems, of
balancing dynamotors, for the purpose of driving electromotive force machines in
the feeders or for driving other machines under suitable conditions. The varying
power, from no load to full load, required by the electromotive force machines may
be furnished by coupling or uncoupling mechanically, engines, balancing dyna-
motors or motors, or by letting them run idle when not required to furnish
power.
Sheet I of the accompanying drawings is a diagram showing the arrangement
which I adopt when the voltage of the station dynamos is approximately equal to
that of the lamns.

page_text: Sheet II is a diagram of the arrangement when the voltage of the station
dynamos exceeds that of the lamps.
The electromotive force machines which I employ are of four kinds, depending
upon the relation of the approximately constant voltage of the source of electricity,
the constant voltage of the lamps, and the loss of voltage in the feeders at
full load.
1
When the station dynamos run at approximately the same voltage as the
lamp voltage, the electromotive force machine gives a forward electromotive
force (E.M.F.) and is a series machine or its equivalent..
When the station dynamos run at a lower voltage than the lamp voltage,
the E.M.F. machine gives a forward E.M.F. and is a compound machine, having
its field excited by separate and series coils, of which the former give a constant
forward E.M.F. and the latter a forward E.M.F.
When the station dynamos run at a higher voltage than the lamp voltage,
the E.M.F. machine gives a back and forward E.M.F. and is a compound machine,
having its field excited by separate and series coils, of which the former give a
constant back E.M.F. and the latter a forward E.M.F.
When the station dynamo voltage exceeds, at full load, the voltage lost over
lamps and feeders, i.e. when the E.M.F. in the feeders is required always to be
backward, then the E.M.F. machine is a simple shunt machine.
When an E.M.F. machine gives a back E.M.F. it acts as a motor and furnishes
power.
A balancing dynamotor, applied for instance to a 5-wire, system of 400 volts,
consists of four similar compound machines each of 100 volts, one on each 100 volt
circuit, with their armatures mechanically coupled. The use of the machine is to
take the excess of the current supplied by the station dynamos over that required
by any of the circuits, and to furnish the excess of the current required by others of
the circuits over that supplied by the station dynamos. The armatures on the
former circuits would acts as motors, those on the latter as generators.
The balancing of the current between the circuits would also be effected, if an
equal addition or subtraction were made to the current passing through each of the
four armatures, the addition of the current, being in the same direction as the
current in the armature acting as a motor, and being in the same direction in each
armature, and the subtraction being in the opposite direction.
In other words,
besides maintaining a balance of the current between the circuits, the balancing
dynamotor will act as an absorber or giver of power, and run at constant speed.
Sheet I shews the arrangement when the voltage of the station dynamos is
approximately equal to that of the lamps. If it were less by 2 V volts, the
forward E.M.F. machines would be compound, their fields excited by separate and
series coils, both giving a forward E.M.F. and the E.M.F. given by the separate
would be constant, and equal to V volts in each pole.
a. station dynamos at lamp voltage.
d₁
separate coils of balancing dynamotor.
d series coils of balancing dynamotor.
€1. carmature coils of balancing dynamotor.
e. f. g. h. feeding points.
j. armature of series machine.
k. series coil of series machine.
Machines such as j. k. are of such a size that the induction through the armature
is substantially proportional to the current C passing along the feeder at any time,
and they supply volts equal to C.R, where R is the resistance of that feeder,
Machines b. c. d. balance between the lamp circuits and drive j. k. machines.
Sheet II, shews the arrangement when the voltage of the station dynamos is
say 430 volts, being 30 volts above the voltage of the lamps assumed to be
400 volts.
"

page_text: Armatures m. g. e. are coupled.
Engines and motors are not shewn; their use will depend upon the requirements
of the E.M.F. machines, the requirements of balancing, capabilities of balancing
machines, method of mechanical coupling, and question of capital expenditure.
The combination of a source of electricity at approximately constant voltage,
backward E.M.F. machines, backward or forward E.M.F. machines, and balancing
dynamotors, in conjunction or not with engines and motors, constitutes a self-
adjusting system, which, with constant speed of the machines, maintains a balance
of current between the circuits, giving any desired constant voltage at the lamps.
The power required for the forward E.M.F. machines is furnished by backward
E.M.F. machines, balancing dynamotors, engines and motors combined as may be
necessary, the variation in the power required being automatically allowed for by
the balancing machine while the speed remains constant.
In a large station, where it might be difficult to couple all the E.M.F. machines
together, they might be coupled in sets. At any time a suitable number of station
dynamos would have to be running, also a sufficient number of balancing machines
to maintain the balance, and a number of E.M.F. machines corresponding to the
number of feeding points, each E.M.F. machine being supplied with the power
which it requires, and the balancing dynamotors being large enough to control the
speed. It is not necessary that the balancing and E.M.F. machines should be at
the station. They might be at the feeding points, where accumulators would be
placed if extensively and systematically used. It is also obvious that at a feeding
point the pressure may be raised again in a similar manner, without any risk of the
pressure being capable of giving a shock at a greater voltage than that at the
station. In this way full load might be maintained on shorter feeders, and
accumulators in outlying districts might be kept charged without the necessity of
duplicating the shorter feeders.
It may well happen that the number of balancing machines required for balancing
exceeds that required for driving the E.M.F. machines. In that case it is obvious
that balancing machines running on the premises of consumers, and mechanically
coupled to prime movers and absorbers of power or to either, will effect the balance
of current, and in addition control the speed of the consumers' machinery.
The system is applicable for any voltage, and its application to any approximately
constant volt source will give any required voltage at the feeding points.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In an electrical distributing system, in combination with the station dynamos and

page_text: the feeders, balancing dynamotors and electromotive force machines, arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.