Improvements in and relating to a Method of and Means for Heating by Electricity.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 1st Nov., 1892-Accepted. 17th Dec., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to a Method of and Means for Heating
by Electricity.
I, HENRY GIBSON O'NEILL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing
at No. 131 Devonshire Street, in the City of Boston, County of Suffolk, and
State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, 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:-
Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the heaters.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the intermutator.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the intermutator shaft and its disks.
Figure 5 is a sectional view of a heater and its heat-storage attachment.
This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in and relating
to a method and means for heating by electricity; and it consists in the novel
construction and combination of devices, all as hereinafter set forth.
a
The invention more particularly relates to a mode or process of supplying
number of storage heaters with electricity from a single current, by intermutation,
or rapid successive distributions of the current in full force in succession, to the
various storage heaters, but intermittently to each heater, the current being diverted
or cut off from all heaters of the set but one, during its momentary application
thereto in turn; and to the means employed for carrying out such mode or process.
The invention further relates to means for supplying an induced current of the
proper voltage to said heaters.
The invention also relates to the resistance wires, in which the energy of the
electric current is transformed into that of heat, and to means for rapidly and
freely absorbing the heat from the resistance wires so that they will not be destroyed
by melting or fusion, in consequence of any excess of strength of the current in
said wires, while the same means serve by their storage character as equalizers to
tide over the short intervals when the current is diverted from each heater, and as
radiators for the utilization of the heat developed.
And finally, the invention involves means of important character, in connection
with the means for absorbing and radiating the heat of conversion, for heat storage,
which, after being set into operation or charged, shall be capable of giving off
heat during longer periods, in which the electric current may be entirely cut off.
In the accompanying drawings, such simple practical means are shown, as will
serve to readily illustrate the principles of the invention, such means however being
capable of different embodiment, while preserving their relative functional
character.
The letter A designates a dynamo or generator, from which a supply current
proceeds by the wire B, to an intermutator C, where it is distributed by excessively
rapid successive distributions, through the action of the separate wires D, to the
electrically disconnected storage heaters E.
The intermutator C consists of a set of wheels or disks a, of non-conducting
and refractory or incombustible material, in number equal to the storage heaters E,
said wheels or disks being secured upon a conducting shaft F, in electrical
connection at f with binding post G of the supply wire B. Each disk is provided
with an arc or segment a' of conducting material, which is in electrical connection
with the conductor shaft F, said are being in length about equal to the disk
perimeter or circle, divided by the number of disks on the shaft, with a slight
excess or overlap to prevent sparking. Each heater is supplied with a separate
11

page_text: and independent connection D from the intermutator, which is provided with
separate binding posts C for each wire, each of said posts carrying a brush or
contact I, which is designed to contact with the periphery of its respective disk a.
The conductor arcs or segments are arranged in different or complimentary
positions upon the disks, when the contacts or brushes I of the binding posts are
in line, so that while the current is being communicated through any one of said
conductor arcs to the contact brush of the corresponding post, all the other arcs
are out of electrical connection, the contacts of their respective binding posts
engaging only the non-conducting portions of their disks.
By reason of the slight overlap above referred to, or slight increase in the length
of the conductor arc, the current is taken by each are just before it is relinquished
by the preceding are, in order that sparking shall be avoided. The contacts or
brushes I are preferably made shiftable, so that they may be brought from contact
with their disks whenever it is desired to cut off the current from any heater.
The rotation of the intermutator shaft may be effected by means of an electric
motor P', which may be constructed on the base of the intermutator, and for which
the current may be diverted by a shunt P¹ from the main wire, as shown. The
shaft of the motor should be in connection with the intermutator shaft by means
of multiplying gear, as at O, so that the latter shaft shall have a speed of several
thousand revolutions per minute. In connection with the motor shunt, a rheostat
or resistance coil, as at m, is employed to regulate the current.
Inasmuch as I find the best results in the heater to be attained by the use of an
induced current of comparatively low voltage, a transformer J is employed, one
of said transformers being shown as interposed in each heater circuit D, between
the intermutator and the heater. I may however place a single transformer in the
supply wire D, between the heater and the intermutator, in connection with a
suitable make-und-break device. When the supply current is of high voltage or
tension, the transformer or transformers should be wound to produce a step-down
action to reduce the voltage and swell the amperage, but when the supply current
is of low voltage or tension, the transformer should be of the step-up form, in order
to make up for the loss of electro-motive force incidental to the make-and-break at
the intermutator.
The storage heaters E consist of a body of steatite, (which is preferred), or other
non-conducting substance, having the character of freely conducting the heat from
the interior resistance to the surface for radiation. The body may be in any suitable
form, such as the plate shown, or it may be of ornamental character, or it may have
the form of a vessel or pot for cooking purposes.
Imbedded in this body in grooves therein, and sealed and insulated by means of
a cement, such as a paste of powdered steatite, and the silicates of lime and soda,
are the resistance wires e. These wires are preferably made from an alloy,
consisting of about eight (8) parts of a composition, consisting of ninety-two (92)
per cent. of copper, seven (7) per cent. of tin, and one (1) per cent. of diatomaceous.
earth or silicon.
To these eight parts of the composition described, I add six (6) parts of nickel,
and three (3) parts of zinc. These materials or ingredients are reduced in a
; crucible, and cast in a body, from which the wire is drawn. For the purpose of
-producing in the alloy greater ductility, without lessening its electrical resistance,
may sometimes add to the alloy a little platinum, say about one (1) per cent.
i
A wire formed of this alloy will possess an exceedingly high electrical resistance,
and also, in addition to great tensile strength, high anti-oxydization and anti-fusion
properties.
This wire may be made to traverse back and forth the length or breadth of the
heater hody a considerable number of times, in order to obtain a greater length of
the resistance in a body of comparatively small size. Said wire is completely
insulated by the cement above referred to, except at the terminals e', to which are
connected respectively, the independent supply wires from the intermutator, and
the return wires, K to the dynamo or generator. When the heater is to be used

page_text: apon cars, it should be provided with an encasement E¹, having spring supports ……
These however are ordinarily omitted.
M designates a heat-storing attachment, which it is designed to use in connection
with the heaters E, and which comprises a suitable box or receptacle supported in
close proximity to the heater body. In said box, I propose to place some chemical
substance which is readily fused by heat, and which, during recrystallization,
possesses the property of throwing off heat, such as the sodaic salts.
When the current is supplied to the heater, these salts become liquefied after a
short time, and the current may then be cut off, and if required, supplied to another
set of apparatus, the salts throwing out heat during the period of recrystallization.
After this period, the current can be again turned on.
It will be apparent that the means and system above described offer very great
practical and economic results, inasmuch as the electric energy required to maintain
the set of heaters by the system of intermutation, is greatly less than is required
when each heater must be fed with a constant current.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The method and means of electric heating, as hereinbefore set forth.
2. In a system of electric heating, the combination with the generator or source,
and the set of electrically disconnected heaters, of the intermutator interposed in
the circuit, between said source and heaters, said intermutator having an independent
electrical connection with each heater, the means for conversion of the current to
the proper voltage, and the heat-storing attachments in connection with said heaters,
substantially as specified.
3. In a system of electric heating, the intermutator comprising a conducting
shaft, its current supply, a series of non-conducting disks or wheels carried on said
shaft, each of said disks or wheels having a conducting are or segment in electrical
connection with said shaft, said conducting arcs or segments being complimentary
to each other, the motor for driving said shaft and the multiplying gear, a separate
binding post for each disk, and a contact or brush carried by each post, substantially
as specified.
4. In a system of electric heating, the heaters comprising each a body of steatite
or similar substance the high resistance alloy wires imbedded therein, and sealed
and insulated except at their terminals by a non-conducting cement or paste,
and the heat-storing attachment in connection with said heater body, as herein
specified.
1000
Dhs 1ot day of Novemba 1992.
JENSEN & SON,.
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.