Improvements in the Method of and Means for the Distribution of Electrical Energy by Alternating Currents
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th Jan., 1890-Accepted. 22nd Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for the Distribution of
Electrical Energy by Alternating Currents
I, GISBERT KAPP, of "Erba" Vineyard Hill Wimbledon in the County of Surrey,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
In the Specification to Letters Patent No. 4345 dated the 21st day of March
A.D. 1888, I have described and illustrated certain arrangements by means of which
the pressure in a circuit carrying an alternating current may be raised by the use of
what I have called "regulating transformers" and have shown in what manner these
transformers in combination with certain manual or automatic devices may be applied.
to central stations supplying districts by means of feeders, the object of the Invention
being to raise the pressure at the station end of the feeder by an amount approximately
equal to the loss of pressure occurring as a consequence of the ohmic resistance of the
conductors between the central station and the point of supply.
The
In the regulating transformer as described and illustrated in the specification
herein before referred to, the primary coil is connected with the terminals of the
alternating current dynamo, and the secondary coil is inserted in one of the two
conductors forming the supply circuit, lighting circuit, or feeder circuit.
secondary coil may be divided into sections and provided with a multiple contact
switch by means of which the supply current, lighting current, or feeding current
may be caused to transverse one, two, or more of the sections and thus receive a
smaller or greater addition to its pressure. The primary circuit therefore remains
unaltered whilst the secondary circuit can be lengthened or shortened and its effect
be thus varied by means of the switch. Although this method gives perfectly
satisfactory results in actual practice, it is sometimes inconvenient to employ a switch
in the secondary circuit as a breakdown of the switch would completely interrupt the
supply current, lighting current, or feeding current. To obviate the possibility of
such interruptions I arrange according to my present Invention, the secondary circuit
without such a switch and employ fixed connections with the supply, lighting, or
feeding circuits. To obtain the regulations I subdivide the primary circuit of the
regulating transformer into sections and connect these with a multiple contact switch
so as to be able to vary the number of convolutions of the primary circuit traversed
by the primary current. According to a well known law the magnetic inductions
created in the iron core of the regulating transformer may be approximately taken
as inversely proportional to the number of convolutions contained in the primary
circuit and by altering this number by means of the multiple contact switch I can
suitably vary the E.M.F. which the secondary coil of the regulating transformer adds
to the supply, lighting, or feeding current. I may also omit the multiple contact
switch from the primary circuit of the regulating transformer and arrange the latter
with fixed connections and in this case I obtain the necessary variations in the total
magnetic induction passing through the secondary circuit, either by a displacement
between this circuit, the iron core, and the primary circuit, or I may keep all these
in a fixed position and cause more or less of the magnetic induction to be deviated
from the iron core of the secondary circuit by applying a magnetic bye-pass consisting
of a separate piece composed of laminated iron, to the core of the primary circuit
and by suitably adjusting the position and distance of this bye-pass relatively to the
core of the primary circuit. The adjustment of the magnetic bye-pass or of the switch
controlling the number of coils to be inserted into the primary circuit, may be effected
either by hand or automatically. A reversing switch may be inserted either into
the primary or the secondary circuit in order that the same apparatus may be used
for both raising and for lowering the pressure in the supply circuit. An automatic
ונס ...

page_text: device may also be added for the purpose of completely interrupting the current
through the primary circuit if the pressure in the secondary circuit should rise above
or fall below certain limits.
Dated this 16th day of April A.D. 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for the Distribution of
Electrical Energy by Alternating Currents.
I, GISBERT KAPP of "Erba" Vineyard Hill Wimbledon in the County of Surrey,
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: -
In the Specification of Letters Patent No. 4345 granted to me and dated the
21st day of March A.D. 1888, I have described and illustrated certain arrangements
by means of which the pressure in a circuit carrying an alternating current may be
raised by the use of what I have called "regulating transformers," and have shewn
in what manner these transformers in combination with certain manual or automatic
devices may be applied to central stations supplying districts by means of feeders,
the object of the Invention being to raise the pressure at the station end of the
feeder by an amount approximately equal to the loss of pressure occurring as a
consequence of the ohmic resistance of the conductors between the central station and
the point of supply.
In the regulating transformer as described and illustrated in the specification herein-
before referred to, the primary coil is connected with the terminals of the alternating
current dynamo, and the secondary coil is inserted in one of the two conductors form-
ing the supply circuit, lighting circuit, or feeder circuit. The secondary coil may be
divided into sections and provided with a multiple contact switch by means of which
the supply current may be caused to traverse one, two, or more of the sections and
thus receive a smaller or greater addition to its pressure. The primary circuit there-
fore remains unaltered whilst the secondary circuit can be lengthened or shortened
and its effect be thus varied by means of the switch.
Although this method gives perfectly satisfactory results in actual practice, it is
sometimes inconvenient to employ a switch in the secondary circuit as a breakdown of
this switch would completely interrupt the supply current, lighting current, or feed-
ing current. To obviate the possibility of such interruptions I arrange according to
my present Invention, the secondary circuit without such a switch and employ fixed
connections with the supply, lighting, or feeding circuits. To obtain the regulation
I subdivide the primary circuit of the regulating transformer into sections and connect
them with a multiple contact switch so as to be able to vary the number of convolu-
tions of the primary circuit traversed by the primary current. According to a well
known law the magnetic inductions created in the iron core of the regulating trans-
former may approximately be taken as inversely proportional to the number of con-
volutions contained in the primary circuit and by altering this number by means of
the multiple contact switch I can suitably vary the E.M.F. which the secondary coil of
the regulating transformer adds to the supply, lighting, or feeding current. I may
also omit the multiple contact switch from the primary circuit of the regulating trans-
former and arrange the latter with fixed connections and in this case I obtain the
necessary variations in the total magnetic induction passing through the secondary
circuit either by a displacement between this circuit, the iron core, and the primary
circuit, or I may keep all these in a fixed position and cause more or less of the
magnetic induction to be deviated from the iron core of the secondary circuit by
applying a magnetic bye-pass consisting of a separate piece composed of laminated
iron, to the core of the primary circuit and by suitably adjusting the position and
distance of this bye-pass relatively to the core of the primary circuit. The adjustment

page_text: of the magnetic bye-pass or of the switch controlling the number of coils to be inserted
into the primary circuit, may be effected either by hand or automatically. A revers-
ing switch may be inserted either into the primary or the secondary circuit in order
that the same apparatus may be used for both raising and for lowering the pressure
in the supply circuit. An automatic device may also be added for the purpose of
completely interrupting the current through the primary circuit if the pressure in the
secondary circuit should rise above or fall below certain limits.
I will proceed to more particularly describe my Invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shews the general arrangement of the circuits
which I adopt. B' B2 are conductors connected to the source of alternating current;
and M M a pair of mains through.which the alternating current is supplied to the
points of consumption. When the apparatus is used for central stations these mains
may be the feeders and when the apparatus is used for private installations they may
be the house mains. In the latter case the apparatus may be used to correct any
variation which may at times take place in the pressure between the conductors B¹ B²
owing to defective supply or it may be used to produce a variation of pressure in the
house mains if it be desired to vary the illuminating power of the lamps, or any other
effect for the production of which the alternating current is required, such for instance
as the heat developed in an electric welding apparatus. In Fig. 1, PP represents the
primary and S S the secondary of an induction coil or transformer. For simplicity
the iron cores are not shewn. The secondary is permanently inserted into one of the
mains M and the primary is connected across the conductors B1 B2, a reversing switch
(not shewn in the drawing) being inserted if it be required to lower as well as raise
the pressure between the mains M M. The magnetic induction produced by the
primary coil P has the effect of adding to or subtracting from the pressure on Fa
certain amount (as I have more fully explained in the herein before mentioned specifi-
cation of Letters Patent No. 4345 granted to me and dated the 21st day of March
A.D. 1888) and in order to vary this amount at will I vary the degree to which
magnetic induction is produced in the core of the secondary coil S S. One means of
accomplishing this object is shewn in Fig. 1. The primary coil P P is subdivided into
several sections which are joined to the contacts 1, 2, 3, etc. of a multiple contact
switch. According to the position of the switch lever A the primary current passes
through a greater or lesser number of convolutions of the primary coil and produces
therefore a lesser or greater induction respectively. If the lever A is turned off
altogether no current flows through the primary, and the apparatus acts as a simple
choking coil. If the lever A be put on the first contact the induction is a minimum
and as the lever is placed on successive contacts the induction increases and with it
the pressure added to or subtracted from the mains M also increases.
Another method of altering the induction is shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, where P
and S are respectively the primary and secondary coils connected with the
conductors B1 B2 and the mains M as in Fig. 1 with the exception that the multiple
contact switch is omitted. The secondary coil is provided with a laminated iron
core E whilst a third laminated iron core D is placed between the two coils. When
the various parts of the apparatus occupy the position shewn in Fig. 2 nearly all the
lines of magnetic induction produced by P in E pass through the core C of the
secondary coil S and the maximum effect is produced. If now the primary and
secondary coils with their cores be drawn apart by suitable mechanism the amount of
induction passing through C is diminished and the remainder passes through the
core D until, when the position shewn in Fig. 3 is reached, nearly the whole induction
passes through D and very little if any passes through C. In this position therefore
the minimum effect is obtained, whilst in intermediate positions any desired effect
between maximum and minimum can be obtained. The apparatus would also act if
the third core D were omitted, but I prefer to use it, because its presence tends to
keep the total induction in E more nearly constant and thus prevents waste of
energy in the coil P if the apparatus be placed at or near the position of minimum
effect.
An equivalent method of varying the induction through the core of the secondary

page_text: coil is shewn in Figs. 4 and 5 where also P and S are the primary and secondary
coils provided with laminated iron cores E and C respectively and F is a laminated
ir on construction constituting a magnetic bye-pass. If this bye-pass is in the position
shewn in Fig. 4 nearly the whole induction created in E by the coil S and the
apparatus gives maximum effect. If now the bye-pass F can be brought closer to the
wings of the core E a portion of the induction goes through F and the induction
through C is diminished until when the position shewn in Fig. 5 is reached, nearly the
whole of the induction passes through F and the effect of the apparatus is a minimum
or zero. At intermediate positions of F any desired effect between maximum and
minimum can be obtained.'
I effect and control the relative movements between the different parts of the
apparatus shewn in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 by means of suitable guides and levers, but
for the sake of clearness I have not represented these mechanical details in the
drawings and I make no claim for their construction or arrangement since they are
simple and of obvious character.
Having now particularly ascertained and described the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
(1) In a regulating transformer, subdividing the primary or thin wire coil into
sections and connecting each of the sections with a multiple contact switch, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before described and as indicated by the
accompanying drawings.
(2) A regulating transformer in which the induction through the secondary or
thick wire coil is varied by altering the relative positions of the two coils and their
cores and of a third or intermediate core D, substantially as herein before described
and as illustrated by Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
(3) A regulating transformer in which the induction through the secondary or
thick wire coil is varied by the motion of a movable magnetic bye-pass F, sub-
stantially as herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of January A.D. 1890.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.