Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Silent Electric Discharges.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Silent Electric Discharges.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM GOLBY, of 36 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex ;
Patent Agent; do hereby declare the nature of this invention as communicated
to me by Alexander Vosmaer, of 104 Sneskade, The Hague, Holland: Engineer:
to be as follows:-
In the various applications of silent discharges by means of electric currents of
high tension and low intensity, for electro-chemical work, such as the molecular
decomposition of gases and vapours for example up to the present time the
operations have been based upon the necessity of employing either a dielectric,
or high resistances, in order to prevent a spark or a voltaic arc.
Considering that the intervention of a dielectric. or the employment of high
resistances, renees the economical production of an electro-chemical installation
by the loss of electrical energy that they cause, it is sought, by means of the present
invention, to suppress these two means, and to replace them by the simple division
of the current, basing the operation on a new principle. This latter consists of
uniformly distributing the intensity of the current at the discharge, over a number
of fields of discharge the surfaces of which are so disposed that at each of their
points the intensity of the current is so low, in consequence of the extreme division
of the intensity of the principal current, that only silent discharges can be produced,
even with currents of very high tension.
According to this invention a continuous or an alternating current of medium
frequency is employed and the peculiarity or essential feature of the invention
consists in producing the discharge by means of sharp-edged conductors,
arranged in such a manner that the total length of the discharge field is in exact
proportion to the intensity of the principal current and the distance from pole to
pole in exact proportion to the tension of the current.
The most simple apparatus consists of a box one side of which forms the arrange-
ment for the sharp-edged conductors united together and forming one of the poles,
whilst a simple conducting plate constitutes the other pole.
These poles are separated from one another by plates of suitable insulating
material and in such a manner as to form a closed box, in which the gas or gases
to be decomposed enter at one side and leave by the other side.
The poles are attached to the conducting wires of the current.
The pointed conductors may be of any suitable shape and the other pole may
be a plate, flat, or curved into a cylindrical shape around the pointed conductors."
Dated this 23rd day of July 1896.
F. W. GOLBY,
36 Chancery Lane, London, W.C.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Silent Electric Discharges.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM GOLBY, of 36 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex;
Patent Agent; do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by Alexander Vosmaer, of
104 Sneskade, The Hague, Holland Engineer to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In the various applications of silent discharges by means of electric currents of
high tension and law strength, for electro-chemical work such as the molecular
decomposition of gases and vapours for example: up to the present time the
operations have been based upon the necessity of employing either a dielectric,
or high resistances, in order to prevent a spark or a voltaic are.
Considering that the intervention of a dielectric, or the employment of high
resistances, reduces the economical production of an electro-chemical installation
by the loss of electrical energy that they cause, it is sought by means of the present
invention to suppress these two means and to replace them by the simple division
of the current, basing the operation on a new principle.
This latter consists of uniformly distributing the strength of the current at
the discharge over a number of fields of discharge the surfaces of which are so
disposed that at each of their points the strength of the current is so low, in con-
sequence of the extreme division of the strength of the principal current, that only
silent discharges can be produced, even with currents of very high tension.
According to this invention a continuous or an alternating current of medium
frequency is employed and the peculiarity or essential feature of the invention
consists in producing the discharge by means of sharp-edged conductors,
arranged in such a manner that the total length of the discharge field is in exact
proportion to the strength of the principal current and the distance from pole to
pole in exact proportion to the tension of the current.
The most simple apparatus consists of a box (see Figs. 1 to 3) one side of which A
forms the arrangement for sharp-edged conductors united together and forming
one of the poles, whilst a simple conducting plate constitutes the other pole B.
Both sides, A and B are separated from one another by the sides C and D made
of suitable insulating material and in such a manner as to form a closed box, in
which the gas or gases to be decomposed enter at one side C and leave by the other
side D.
The poles are attached to the conducting wires of the current.
The dischargers can be made of thin metal plate, for example in one length
from to or these blades can be replaced by bars of triangular section as shown
in Figs. 4 and 5.
The pole B opposite the pole of division A (provided with the sharp-edged dis-
chargers) can be composed of a flat plate or of a curved one, as shown in Figs. 6
and 7 (BB).
In this latter arrangement the pole with the sharp-edged dischargers, is placed
in the centre of the cylindrical plate B or B2; the pole can consist of a simple
triangular bar A (Fig. 6) or of a certain number of these bars 12 (Fig. 7).
By way of example it may be stated that with a current of 40,000 Volts the
distance between the discharging poles, that is to say, between the upper edges of
the dischargers a and the poles B, may be 20 mm, provided that the length from
to b of each of the dischargers a be 2 meters. If this length he increased, the
distance between the poles of opposite sign, a and B, may be decreased or the
tension of the current may be increased and still no sparking will occur but only

page_text: silent discharges. The height of the discharging poles a, may be, say 6 mm, and
they may be spaced some 10 or 20 mm, apart from each other.
Take an example: Let the length of the discharger be 1 M then at a tension
of E Volts and a polar distance of say 20 mm sparks will come. There are two
ways of preventing this, riz., either by increasing the polar distance (but that
means weakening the electric field) or by increasing the length of the discharger
itself.
If this discharger now he made 2 M instead of 1 M no sparks will come at that
distance of 20 mm.
The system not being self regulating (like a system of glowlamps where the
number of Amperes is governed by the number of lamps burning), here in this
case, the total length of the dischargers (that is to say if there is 100 M total length,
there may be 50 discharges each 2 M long, but if they are made 1 M long then
there are 100 of such discharges) must be in due proportion to the current strength
in Amperes. Say that 1 M for 1 milliampere is wanted, then if the transformer
has a power of 1 Ampere (secondary say 50,000 Volts 1 Ampere or 50 Kilowatt.)
then 1000 M of discharger are necessary, and these may be arranged in any suitable
or desirable manner. For example 100 dischargers a of 10 M cach, or 500 of 2 M.
or any other arrangement with a total length of 1000 M.
If the transformer be of smaller capacity say 10 Kilowatt and the secondary
tension still 50,000 volt then the current will be about 02 Ampere, the total
length of discharging pole 200 M and so on.
It is well known that a greater polar distance may prevent sparking, but it is not
known that no sparking will occur when the total length of the discharging pole
be in accordance with the current strength, and it is this which forms the essential
feature of this invention.
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 :-
The production of silent electric discharges without the intervention of a di-
electric or the employment of high resistances by means of a continuous or
alternate current, of medium frequency, of high tension and low strength by the
division of the strength of the current, and the distribution over a number of
dischargers, constituted by sharp-edged conductors: arranged in such a manner
that the total length of the discharge field is in exact proportion to the strength
of the principal current and the distance from pole to pole in exact proportion to
the tension of the current.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1897