Improvements in and connected with Electricity Meters.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Electricity Meters.
:
I, CHAIMSONOVITZ PROSPER ELIESON, of 75, Edith Road, West Kensington, in the
County of London, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to improvements in electricity meters of the kind in which
the current to be measured is caused to electrolyse a body of water or other liquid,
which is thereby decomposed in proportion to the quantity of current passing.
According to my invention I provide for ascertaining the quantity of current which
has passed through such liquid either by metering the volume of gas generated or the
quantity of liquid decomposed.
In the former case I effect the electrolysis of the liquid in a closed vessel and 1
conduct the gas or gases generated to an ordinary gas meter or other apparatus for
registering its volume.
In case only a very small current is passing so that the quantity of gas evolved
would be so small as to pass through the meter without sufficient pressure for operating
the registering mechanism I provide for storing the gas and, when a sufficient
quantity is collected, forcing it through the meter under pressure.
For this purpose I advantageously arrange a tube open at both ends in the
electrolysing vessel the lower end being near to the bottom of such vessel and the
upper end at some distance above the level of the liquid therein. The tube through
which the gas passes to the registering meter is also arranged with its open end below
the level of the liquid. With this arrangement as the gas collects in the vessel the
water therein is displaced and rises in the said open ended tube and the discharge
tube until the lower end of the latter is exposed when the collected gas, can
pass through the said discharge tube under the pressure of the water in the open
ended tube.
When the quantity of water decomposed is to be recorded I allow the gas
generated to escape freely and 1 arrange in connection with the vessel a graduated
tube of a relatively small diameter so that any reduction in the quantity of liquid
will be readily shown.
Dated the 30th day of January 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Electricity Meters.
J. CHAIMSONOVITZ PROSPER ELIESON, of 75, Edith Road, West Kensington, in
the County of London, 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 invention relates to improvements in electricity meters of the kind in which
the current to be measured is caused to electrolyse a body of water or other liquid
which is thereby decomposed in proportion to the quantity of current passing.
According to my invention I provide for ascertaining the quantity of current
which has passed through such liquid either by inetering the volume of gas generated
as it, is
or by registering the pulsations caused by the accumulation of the gas
generated as hereinafter more particularly described.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
077

page_text: how it can be successfully carried into practice by reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
Figures 1 and 2 are sectional diagrammatic views shewing two arrangements of
my electricity meters in which the quantity of current is ascertained by metering the
volume of gas generated, and
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figures 1 and 2 but shewing my arrangement for
ascertaining the quantity of current by registering the pulsations caused by the
accumulation of the gas as it is generated.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
I will first describe my invention by reference to Figure 1 in which a is a
closed vessel containing the liquid, such as acidulated water which is to be decom-
posed. b and c are suitable electrodes (say carbon for the negative and platinum
for the positive electrode) placed in the said vessel and connected with the main
conductors, the current of electricity passing through which is to be measured; or
the vessel may be placed in a shunt circuit. d is a tube which is open at both ends
and inserted through the cover of the vessel a, the lower end of the tube extending
near to the bottom of the vessel a while the upper end of the tube extends as shown
some distance above the top of the vessel.
e is a syphon, the long arm of which advantageously passes down the tube d, the
other arm opening into a supply cistern containing liquid kept at a constant level,
the said syphon serving to maintain the level of the liquid in the closed vessel a at
its normal height.
9 is a tube which also passes through the cover of the vessel a, the lower end
of the tube extending just below the level of the liquid in the said vessel a and the
upper end of the tube communicating with any suitable meter such as h.
By this arrangement it will be obvious that as the electric current passes through
the liquid in the vessel a, a portion of the said liquid, depending upon the quantity
of the current, will be decomposed and the gas thereby generated or liberated will
collect in the upper part of the vessel and will displace the liquid and cause it
to rise in the tubes à and g until the bottom of the tube g becomes exposed, when
the collected gas or gases will escape through the tube 9 into the meter h under
the pressure of the column of liquid in the tube d. The gas having escaped and the
pressure being thereby removed, the column of liquid in the tube d will fall,
and the liquid of the vessel a thereby resuming its normal level will again close the
lower end of the tube g and so on, the quantity of gas generated being measured
as it passes through the meter h thereby indicating the exact equivalent of the
current which has passed through the vessel a.
It will be obvious that the dial of the meter can be so graduated or divided as to
give direct reading in ampère-hours or otherwise.
In the arrangement of meter shewn in Figure 2 the principle of working is sub-
stantially the same as that shown in Figure 1, but, in this arrangement, I dispense
with the cistern f and place between the vessel a and the meter h a small vessel i
containing mercury. In this case the tubes d and g are inserted in the mercury
vessel which vessel is also connected with the vessel a in any suitable manner such
as by means of a tube j. k is a tube through which the vessel a is supplied with
liquid, the said tube being closed at the upper end.
By this arrangement it will be readily understood that the gas generated by the
electrolysis or decomposition of the liquid in the vessel a will pass through the tube j
into the vessel i causing the mercury to rise in the tubes d and g similarly as the
liquid in the vessel a rose in Figure 1, and as soon as the lower end of the tube
is exposed the gas will escape through the tube g into the meter as before described
in reference to Figure 1, thereby enabling me to keep the volume of gas or gases
under a constant and equable pressure without the necessity of maintaining constant
the level of the liquid in the vessel a.
I will now describe the meter illustrated in Figure 3.
This meter is practically identical with that illustrated in Figure 2 except that
instead of the gases generated escaping through the tube g into a meter they are now

page_text: allowed to escape freely through the said tube, but, as the mercury rises in the tube d
it completes an electric circuit by means of two suitable wires 1, m in the tube d so
as to short circuit an electro-magnet which actuates a counter h. Directly the gases
escape, the mercury falls as before, thereby breaking the circuit and so on con-
tinuously, whereby each pulsation caused by the accumulation of the gas or gases
generated is registered.
For measuring alternating currents it will he obvious that one or both of the electrodes
must be made relatively small and of suitable material such as platinum.
Where a current of electricity of a certain quantity is to be measured, that is to
say, a current not below a minimum required for say, supplying a few glow
lamps, then the gas generated need not be compressed but can pass direct to the
meter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be perforined, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An electricity meter in which the quantity of current is registered by inter-
mittently metering a number of definite volumes of gas generated by the electrolysis
or decomposition of a liquid contained in a vessel through which the current or any
known fraction thereof passes.
2. An electricity meter which operates by registering the number of pulsations
caused by the accumulation of gas generated substantially as set forth.
3. In an electricity meter, the combination of a closed vessel containing liquid
through which the current to be measured passes, of tubes such as d and g
and a
meter so arranged that a certain volume of the gas as it is generated by the
electrolysis of the liquid is compressed and forced through the meter, substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. In an electricity meter, the combination of a closed vessel containing liquid
through which the current or any fraction thereof passes, of tubes such as d and g and
an electric indicator or counter so arranged that the pulsations caused by the
accumulation of gas generated by the electrolysis of the liquid is registered,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. The use in an electricity meter of an intermediate vessel or cup containing a
mercurial trap which permits the flow or escape of gases at intervals only when a
definite pressure has been attained.
6. In an electricity meter the combination of an electrolytic cell with an inter-
mittently acting pneumatic or hydrostatic device.
7. In an electricity meter the device of electrically registering the number of
times that a vessel of given volume has been filled and emptied of gas.
8. The manufacture and use of the improved electricity meters hereinbefore
described and illustrated respectively in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 16th day of October 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.