Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 20th Feb., 1889
I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, of Norfolk House, Victoria Embankment, London,
W.C., Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The principle of my invention lies in the alteration of position of a vessel through
alteration of the specific gravity of its fluid contents such alteration of specific gravity
being brought about by alteration of temperature caused by the passage of the
electricity to be measured, or a portion thereof, through a conductor placed in the
said vessel. The motion of this vessel may be communicated to any convenient form
of mechanical counter, or it may call into action what is known as an electric counter.
The parts of this apparatus may be multiplied and suitable switching devices may be
employed for switching the current from one conductor to another.
In some cases I employ compound conductors so as to take advantage of what is
known as the Peltier effect.
It will be understood that the record shewn by the counter is a measure of the
electricity which has passed through the apparatus.
It will be obvious that there are a number of ways of carrying the principle of my
invention into effect but these. need not be specified here.
Dated this 20th day of January 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Measuring and Recording Apparatus.
1, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, of Norfolk House, Victoria Embankment, London,
W.C., Consulting 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 :-
The
The principle of my invention lies in the alteration of position of a vessel through
alteration of the specific gravity of its fluid contents or a part thereof such alteration
of specific gravity being brought about directly or indirectly by alteration of
temperature caused by the passage of the electricity to be measured, or a portion
thereof, through a conductor placed in or in proximity to the said vessel.
motion of this vessel may when the electric current is required to be integrated be
communicated to any convenient form of mechanical counter, or it may call into
action what is known as an electric counter. The parts of this apparatus may be
multiplied and suitable switching devices may be employed for switching the current
from one conductor to another.
I shall now proceed to explain in detail one or more ways in which my invention
is to be or may be carried into effect and in order that this more detailed description
may be more readily understood I have annexed hereunto nine sheets of drawings
illustrative of my invention and have inserted in the same figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation.
In these drawings
similar letters of reference refer to similar or equivalent parts.
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate one form of my invention figure 1 being an elevation
and figure 2 a plan. In this form I employ a U shaped tube A ending in two
bulbs B B¹. This I nearly fill with a volatile or readily vaporisable liquid and I
suspend or otherwise attach it so that it is in a state of unstable equilibrium and
mounted upon the spindle C so as to be free to rock or oscillate. Upon the spindle (
is mounted a commutator D consisting of four conducting segments d² d² d³ d².
Connected to the segments d' and d³ of the commutator D is the heating wire E
which is sealed through the glass of the bulb B and passes into the liquid con-
tained therein. The segments d² and d are connected with a similar beating wire E¹
which passes to the bulb B¹. Upon the commutator D press the two brushes F F¹
which are suitably .connected with the circuit in which is passing the current to be
measured. Let us now assume that a current is passing through the circuit and
that this form of my apparatus is in the position shown in full lines in figure 1.
It will be seen that the current will flow through the heating wire E the effect of
which will be that the said wire will be heated and its rise of temperature will be
communicated to the volatile liquid in the bulb. B. The effect of this will be that
the fluid contents of the bulb B will be decreased in specific gravity the liquid
being heated and partly vaporised whilst at the same time part of the liquid will
be transferred to or pushed along towards the bulb B¹ so that the weight of this
bulb will be increased. The bulb B will now be lighter than the bulb B₁ and this

page_text: will cause the balance to be disturbed so that B will, rise and B₁ fall or in other
words the tube A will rock or oscillate so as to assume the position shown in dotted
lines. The brushes F. F' will now be in coutact with the segments d² d and the
current will now pass through the heating wire in the bulb B which in its turn
will be rendered lighter than the bulb B and cause the apparatus again to rock or
oscillate so as to again assume the position shown in full lines in the figure. It
will thus be seen that the apparatus will continue to rock or oscillate as long as a
current is passed through it. The greater the electric current passing through the
apparatus the greater will be the amount of heat developed in the heating wire. (that
is to say, the higher will the temperature rise within a given time) and the more
rapid will the specific gravity of the fluid contents be altered and the more frequent
will be the oscillations of the apparatus. It will thus be seen that the number of
oscillations in a given time will be a measure of the electricity passed through the
apparatus. When I desire to integrate these oscillations I employ a counter for
example of the form shown in the two figures just referred to and I cause the motion
of the tube to be transmitted to the said counter by means of the pawl G and ratchet
wheel H which later is in suitable mechanical connection with the first of the train of
wheels of the counter. The apparatus just described constitutes one form of a type
of my invention the instruments of which type I differentiate by the term
vaporisation instrument.
It will be seen that in the above figures only each alternate oscillation actuates
the counter the pawl G during the other oscillations riding light over the teeth of
the ratchet wheel H. When desired for greater accuracy each single oscillation
may be registered by employing a double ratchet and pawl arrangement as shown
in figures 3 and 4. In these figures of which 3 is an elevation and 4 a plan A is
the shaped tube which terminates in the bulbs B B and which is filled or
nearly so with a volatile or readily vaporisable liquid. This tube is suspended or
attached so as to be in a state of unstable equilibrium and is mounted on the spindle C
so as to be free to rock or oscillate. This oscillatory motion produced as before
is transmitted to the spindle J on which is mounted the first of the train of wheels
constituting the mechanical counter and it will be seen that at each oscillation of
the tube A the spindle J will be driven in the same direction. For example when the
bulb B' is descending the pawl G₁acting upon the ratchet wheel H¹ to which is
rigidly attached the spur wheel K¹ will cause it to be rotated in the direction of the
arrow the wheel K which is geared to K' turning in the opposite direction. Similarly
when the bulb B is descending the pawl G acts upon the ratchet wheel H which is
rigidly attached to the spur wheel K causing K and K' to turn in the same direction
In the figure
as before. The counter spindle J may be attached either to K or K.
it is shown attached to K. It will be noticed that whilst the pawl G' is actuating the
counter the pawl G will ride light over the teeth of H and that when the pawl G
is actuating the counter the pawl G' will ride light over the teeth of H¹.
Let us assume
Figures 5 and 6 show in elevation and in plan respectively another form of vapori-
sation instrument which differs from that already described in that instead of rocking
In figure 71
or oscillatory movement. being produced a rotary motion is obtained.
show diagrammatically a convenient form of commutator to employ with this form
of instrument. It will be seen that instead of having a single U tube I have here a
number of tubes which cross one another at the bearing spindle C.
that the commutator is in such position with respect to the brushes F F that the
current will pass through the heating wire in the bulb X the specific gravity of the
contents of this bulb will be decreased whilst that of the contents of the opposite
bulb X will be increased. Movement will now take place in the direction of the
arrow and the instrument will move round till the current flows through the heating
wire in the bulb Y. This after its fluid contents have been heated will move onwards
till the bulb Z comes into circuit and so on the rotation continuing as long as a current
passes and its speed increasing or decreasing as the current of electricity increases or
decreases the number of rotations' or the amount of angular movement within a given
period of time being a measure of the electricity passed. In the last form of device

page_text: I find it advantageous not to pass the current through the heating wire of a bulb
until the said bulb has risen to a certain level for example until it has reached the
level of the centre of movement of the tube or nearly so.
The reason of this is
that if the liquid in the bulb be vaporised soon after it leaves its lowest position the
vapour is apt to escape into the bulb at the opposite end of the tube so as to
render the latter bulb lighter and consequently tend to produce movement in the.
opposite direction to that desired. It will be found that the direction in which the
bulbs point is a material factor in determining the direction of movement. Thus
referring to figure 5 it will be seen that the bulbs point upwards at that side of the
apparatus where the wires are heated and that the movement is therefore in the
direction in which the bulbs point. Should however the bulbs point in the opposite
direction on the heating side namely downwards it would be found that bubbles would
escape to the bulb at the other end of the tube and so reverse the action. It will be
understood of course that to produce bubbles as spoken of a greater temperature would
have to be developed in the heating wires than is found convenient in practice but of
course with a lower temperature convection currents set up in the volatile liquid
would tend to produce the same effect though perhaps not to such an extent as to
actually reverse the direction of rotation.
Figure 8 represents diagrammatically a form of instrument somewhat resembling
that shown in figures 5 and 6 except that instead of belonging to the vaporisation
type it belongs to another type which for the sake of distinction I term the pneumatic
type and here it may be as well to distinguish between an instrument of the
vaporisation type and one of the pneumatic type by stating that whereas in the
former case a liquid is vaporised in the latter case air or gas is expanded this
expansion causing movement and in the case illustrated displacement of a liquid
along the tube from one bulb towards another. In figure 8 it may be assumed that
a commutator of the type shown in figure 7 is employed and that the current is
being passed through the heating wire in the bulb X. The air in X is expanded by
the heat of the wire and some of the liquid is driven up into the tube A displacing
a small quantity of the liquid which flows from the tube A into the bulb X
✗ therefore becomes lighter and X' heavier and movement in the direction of the
arrow takes place and so on the action being similar to the case represented in
figures 5 and 6. This instrument should not be employed under circumstances
likely to produce a high speed of rotation as a centrifugal force taken in conjunc-
tion with the fact that there are always convection currents and that the temperature
of the bulbs is always different tends to alter the relative proportions of the liquid
and air in the two bulbs.
Figure 9 diagrammatically illustrates another form of my invention. It consists
of two bell jars partly filled with air or gas floating in water or other suitable
liquid and containing heating conductors. The bell jars are connected by a lever
and a commutator as herein set forth with reference to rocking or oscillating
instruments is employed for switching the current from one heating conductor to
another as required. As the current passes through the heating conductor in a bell
jar it expands and renders lighter the air in that jar which then rises and causes the
lever to tip over at the same time switching the current on to the other heating
conductor. This conductor is now heated in its turn and the same cycle of
operations produced as before the current being integrated after the manner berein-
before set forth. I make the equilibrium of the lever unstable by means of the
adjustable weight shown.
The three following figures show diagrammatically forms of instrument which are
useful when the object is not to have an integrator but simply an indicator in other
words an apparatus which will measure electricity but not sum up and record
what has passed within a given time.
In figure 10 is illustrated one form of my indicating apparatus. The heat
produced by the passage of the current expands the gas or vapour in one of the bulbs
of the pivotted tube and the decreased specific gravity in this bulb causes part of
the mercury or other liquid to flow into the other bulb which thus becomes heavier

page_text: and moves the tube through an angle depending on the amount of liquid displaced
and therefore on the strength of the current. A pointer connected or attached to
the tube shows on a scale the amount of movement of the tube and therefore indicates
at any time the strength of the current then flowing.
Figure 11 illustrates another indicating form of my invention in which the form
of the balanced thermometer is employed. The passage of the current through
the heating conductor expands the gas or vapour in the bulb and thus forces part
of the mercury or other suitable liquid along the tube and by destroying the balance
causes the tube to be more or less inclined. The angular position of the tube at
any time indicates on the scale the strength of the current passing.
Figure 12 illustrates another indicating form of my invention in which I utilize
the well known form of the Cartesian diver. A is a vessel hermetically closed and
partly filled with liquid and partly with air or gas and in which is shown the
heating conductor E. X X is the diver or floating body partly filled with liquid
and partly with air which is shown in the figure as a tube with a bulb the bottom
of this bulb being thickened or weighted so as to keep the tube in a vertical position.
The bottom of the bulb is perforated so as to permit free communication
between the liquid inside and that outside it. When the current flows the con-
ductor E becomes heated and increases the pressure of the gas or vapour above the
liquid in A. This increased pressure is transmitted through the liquid to the air in
the bulb compresses it and increases its specific gravity so as to cause the bulb tube
to sink. The depth of immersion as indicated on the scale is a measure of the
current passing at the time.
Figure 13 shows diagrammatically another form of vaporisation instrument which
may conveniently be termed a distillation meter. B, B, are two bulbs containing
some easily vaporisable fluid and communicating with each other by the tube A.
These bulbs and tube are so balanced as to be in a state of unstable equilibrium
and capable of oscillatory motion. This motion is produced by heating conductors
placed in or near the bulbs B, B', and may be integrated as hereinbefore described,
and such integration will be a measure of the electricity passed within a given time.
The heat produced in one bulb causes the liquid in that bulb to be evaporated so
as to pass in a state of vapour to the other bulb where it is condensed. The amount
of liquid in the bulb in which evaporation takes place will therefore become less than
that in tlie other bulb and cause it to rise while the other bulb sinks. When the
current is next transmitted to the lower bulb, namely that in which condensation
has just taken place, it becomes the evaporation bulb while what was formerly the
evaporation bulb becomes the condensation. bulb so that motion again takes place
and so on as long as the current continues to pass.
In the integrating instruments herein before described the movement of the apparatus
is transmitted to the counter by ordinary mechanical transmitting devices. Any of
the well known hydraulic and pneumatic transmitting devices may however be
employed when convenient.
:
In describing the apparatus of the vaporisation type illustrated, I have stated that
the bulb or vessel is partly filled with a readily vaporisable liquid. I find that
alcohol gives very good results and in using this Huid I prefer to fill the vessel to
about three fourths of its capacity with the liquid alcohol, and then to displace the
air from the remaining fourth part either by boiling or by exhausting by means of
an air pump, and then sealing the vessel so that the said remaining fourth part
shall be filled with the alcohol vapour. I sometimes find it advantageous to paint
or coat the inner surface of the vessel especially if it be of metal with a flexible
paint or varnish for the purpose of preventing sweating through the walls of the
said vessel. A suitable paint or varnish for this purpose is the flexible variety of
what is known as Molyneux's Composition.
In figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 the switching device for switching the current
from one heating conductor to the other in accordance with the position of the rocker
or of the rotating tubes as the case may be is a common form of commutator; but
mercury cups such as are usually employed in laboratories may be substituted. To

page_text: prevent loss and error through sparking I adopt the following well known plans
namely in the case of the commutator arrangement of so curving or extending the
contact surface of the brushes and by placing the segments so close together that
before a brush has left one segment it has made contact with the next, whilst in the
case of the mercury cups 1 so prolong the wires dipping into the mercury that one
wire or pair of wires shall have entered the mercury before the other wire or set of
wires shall have left it.
.
In all the drawings the current has been shown as flowing only through one heating
conductor in or in proximity to one vessel at any one time, but it is obvious that
may employ more than one conductor, and if two conductors be used at one time one
of which is part of the main circuit and the other is arranged as a shunt to the main
circuit, then the instrument will indicate or integrate the total electric energy
expended in the circuit, however the current or the pressure of electricity may
vary.
The forms of integrating apparatus hereinbefore described constitute good practical
forms of meter for use in systems of electrical supply from central stations.
The instruments hereinbefore described are applicable for either alternating or
continuous currents.
The meters described may be connected up in any of the known ways and
either with or without adjustable resistances as may be required and as is well
understood.
In most of the cases illustrated I show the heating conductor as immersed in the
fluid. This however is not necessary. In figure 8 I show the heating conductor in
close proximity to the fluid. In this case it will be seen that the conductor is entirely
outside of the vessel itself. The heat is transferred to the fluid by conduction through
the walls of the vessel.
Another method embraced by my invention of heating the fluid is by bringing the
heating conductor in close contact with a part of a bulb or vessel which is constructed
of thick metal. If in this case the current passing through the heating conductor be
an alternating one Foucault currents will be set up in the said metal so as to generate
heat for the purpose of altering the specific gravity of the fluid as aforesaid. It is
not however necessary that a part of a bulb or vessel should be of thick metal as a
separate mass of metal in the bulb or vessel itself may have such Foucault currents
set up in it and so be heated.
It will be understood that in the cases in which the heating conductors pass into the
fluid they must pass through the sides of the bulbs or other vessels B B in such
manner as not only to be airtight but to be insulated. This may be effected by
passing them through long sleeves of rubber or vulcanised fibre fitted in metal tubes
soldered to the walls of the vessel when such is of metal. I have hitherto spoken of
these heating conductors as though they were single wires continuous throughout
their whole length. In practise however instead of employing conductors continuous
throughout their whole length I employ for the heating part, namely a part which is
inside the vessel, or in contact with, or in close proximity to, the said vessel, a wire
which offers a considerably higher resistance than the rest of the said wire leading to
and from the said higher resisting part.
In practise I prefer to enclose my integrating apparatus in a copper or iron case,
the counter being so arranged that the dials can be seen through a plate of glass let
into the said metal case.
In my provisional specification I referred to the use of compound conductors so that
I might take advantage of what is known as the Peltier effect. My idea at the time
of drawing up my provisional specification was that in the cases where I employed
continuous currents with an apparatus such as that shown in figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9
and 13 1 might arrange compound heating conductors in series with junctions inside
the vessels so that whilst the fluid in one vessel was being heated the fluid in the other
vessel would be cooled. I have failed to attain this end satisfactorily and therefore I
lay no claim to the use of compound heating conductors for the purpose of utilising in
this invention what is.known as the Peltier effect.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said'inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to he performed I declare that I make
no broad claim to all forms of electric measuring and recording apparatus working on
the principles described, that is to say to all ampère, conlomb and watt-meters of
the vaporisation and pneumatic type, as I am aware that instruments of both of these
types have already been constructed. These instruments, however, differ widely from
mine, and so far as I am aware have not proved successful in practice. What I do
claim, however, is :-
:-
1. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the rocking vaporisation conlomb-meter substantially as set forth with reference to
figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
2. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the apparatus mentioned in the preceding claim but having two heating conductors in
each bulb one of which is part of the main circuit and the other of which is arranged
as a shunt to the main circuit so as to constitute a watt-meter substantially as set forth.
3. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the rotary vaporisation conlomb-meter substantially as set forth with reference to
figures 5 and 6.
4. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the apparatus mentioned in the immediately preceding claim but having two heating
conductors in each bulb arranged so as to constitute a watt-meter substantially as
set forth.
5. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the rotary pneumatic conlomb-meter substantially as set forth with reference to.
figure 8.
6. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the apparatus mentioned in the immediately preceding claim but having two heating
conductors in each bulb arranged so as to constitute a watt-meter substantially as
set forth.
7. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the rocking pneumatic conlomb-meter substantially as set forth with reference to figure 9.
8. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the apparatus mentioned in the immediately preceding clain but having two heating
conductors in each vessel arranged so as to constitute a watt-meter substantially as
set forth.
9. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the rocking vaporisation conlomb-meter substantially as set forth with reference to
figure 13.
10. The improvement in electric measuring and recording apparatus consisting of
the apparatus mentioned in the immediately preceding claim but having two healing
conductors in each bulb arranged so as to constitute a watt-meter substantially as
set forth.
11. The improvement in electric measuring apparatus consisting of the indicating
instrument substantially as set forth with reference to figure 10.
12. The improvement in electric measuring apparatus consisting of the indicating
instrument substantially as set forth with reference to figure 11.
13. The improvement in electric measuring apparatus consisting of the indicating
instrument substantially as set forth with reference to figure 12.
14. The improvements in electric measuring and recording apparatus substantially.
as set forth.
201
1
CAT
1000