Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Utilizing the Power of Rivers, Canals, Tides, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June. 1500
Complete Specification Left. 21st Feb., 1891-Accepted, 16th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Utilizing the
Power of Rivers, Canals, Tides, and the like.
I PHILIP HENRY WILLIAMS of Egham Surrey Gentleman do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The utilising the waste or other water power of rivers canals tides &c. for
electrical or other purposes by constructing or erecting lock, shute or other weirs
with hollow iron piers and foundations or casings for such upon iron screw or
ordinary piles or both and filling with concrete &c. to carry water wheels of any
kind or encased dynamo water wheels of any kind or by floating dynamos on such
dynamo water wheels.
Dated this 14th day of June 1890.
PHILIP HENRY WILLIAMS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Utilizing the
Power of Rivers, Canals, Tides, and the like.
PHILIP HENRY WILLIAMS of Egham Surrey Gentleman 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:-
It is the utilizing the waste or other water power of rivers canals tides water
falls and swift currents any where to be found for electrical and other purposes by
constructing and, erecting lock shute and other weirs with iron or steel piers and
foundations or casings for either or both—upon iron or steel or ordinary wood piles
or both or other means and filling in before or after with concrete or other material
or subtances. Also the adaptation of water wheels or motors of any kind for
driving dynamos or other electric generators or wheels carrying or driving such or
other apparatus for generating electric or magnetic attraction or power or for any
other purpose also by floating such generators &c. on rafts or craft of kind
& anchoring or holding or fixing such in any swift current or attaching such
dynamo or other wheels apparatus &c. or propeller or other wheels connected with
with electric generators to floating or other piers wharfs or buildings of any kind
wherever a swift current is passing or making such propellers or wheels buoyant and
combined with electric generators or attaching such to buoys to be held fast from
such places or anchors requiring only communicating cables when needed or to
illuminate the buoys-making such display electric light if required or be self
illuminating.
any
Also the utilizing of such metallic weirs or the metal thereof to add to the
generating powers of dynamos or other electric generators directly magnetically or
electro-magnetically or electrically or to form batteries or part thereof or accumu-
lators generators or otherwise or their influence by induction or other means &
likewise the influence or action or both of water passing any part thereof.
As to the constructing and erecting the lock shute weirs and foundations-they
may be cast or made in such forms as shown herewith in drawings given examples
of but which are subject to and capable of modifications to suit the positions
they would have to occupy and the purposes for which it is desired to utilize such.
The examples shown in Figures 1, 2 & 3 are such as may be erected immediately
FD17

page_text: below any existing locks on such rivers as the Thames where the fall is about
6 or 8 feet, without disturbing the old weirs until the new is completed.
Figs. 1 & 3 show the top views of piers cast in parts but they can be cast in one
and the chief difference in them is that in the circular part V is shown how the
piers as well as other parts of the weir may be utilized. This is a well to receive
à double feathered shaft turbine.
Fig. 2 shows the side view of a pier, A is the platform resting on & fixed
to it but the platform can be raised higher if required by providing supports
and it is to be carried from pier to pier so as to command the shutes &c.
B corresponds to the B shown in Fig. 1, and provides for corrugated or fluted steel
or iron shutes but in Fig. 3 B. provides for ordinary wood shutes. C in 1, 2 & 3
shows a provision in the form of a perforated shaft or one formed of bars for
preventing floating refuse descending to the shaft C. a. to drive turbines beneath
the sill level and likewise the turbine shaft T. The dotted line D shows the top
of the shutes and the top of the sloping plate E. E. This is a plate that stretches
from pier to pier and the highest edge forms a sill or support for tops of the upper
row of shutes, while the similar plate below supports the bottom of the upper
shutes & the tops of the bottom shutes and G indicates the lowest sill and ground
level plate each of which plates are bolted to the piers at each end and give
strength & unites cach pier throughout the whole structure and provide slopes on
which my small electric generators can be fixed to work. H H indicates the
part of the pier from sill level to its base K. K. K. K. resting on piles and I to I
shows the base plate resting on K. K. K. K. bolted to the piers. These may
be fitted in after the permanent foundation is laid in. J. to J. indicates the
back of the pier to the top where it would cease, if shaft hole in Fig. 3 is
provided, otherwise the pier follows up to the platform A. K.. in each figure
shows the bolts that would be required if cast in parts and which form ladders at
the back of each pier. L. L. L. L. indicate compressible screw fasteners and
M. M. M. M. show the wood piles that may be used to support the piers until the
spaces around and between are filled in.
Fig. 4 is an example for utilizing overflow weirs without shutes and which may
be of any size or form fitted upon masonry or may be made & fixed & filled in
the same way as Fig. 2. This part shown is made to be lifted up without
removing in order to fix the electric generators but instead of requiring to be
lifted the plate may be made with slots to receive the ends of the spindles so as
to be self-adjusting and provision along under for sheltering the communicating
mains.
The dotted lines A in Fig. 4, show a plate to direct the water one side or
between a pair of wheels. Dotted lines B. show a modification of the plate and C
shows a hinge to allow of the plate & wheel being lifted for fixing said wheel &
mains &c. On either side or above a platform may be arranged.
Figs. 5 & 6 on slopes in Fig. 2. show electric generating water wheels also in
working position.
Fig. 7 indicates a double turbine working beneath the sill plate carrying at the
top of the shafts another dynamo or electric generator and N. N. show angle plates
bolted to the sloping plates to protect the shafts of this turbine.
Fig. 8 also in dotted lines indicates a large water wheel provided for driving
electric generators of any kind, in any way or to carry dynamos or generators in
or on its shaft indicated at S-while P. P. indicates the different form of plate
required for this wheel instead of E. F. and R. indicates an arrangement for
lowering a part of this plate so that the wheel can be driven when the upper
shutes are lifted.
Fig. 9 indicates the shaft of a double turbine with turbinated or feathered shafts
which are fed at or near the top. T. indicates the receiver and U. is the outlet
of the well V. shown in Fig. 3.
For floating purposes or for attaching to any fixed or floating object these electric
generators Figs. 5 & 6. may generally suit being easily attached but these can be

page_text: modified or other forms adopted and made to be buoyant and double or single
motion and may be so feathered that they shall require only to be anchored in the
current cable mains or other means of conveying the electricity to land. This may
be accomplished by making the buoy so feathered that it shall rotate like a
propeller by the current or it may be a conical buoy with such as Fig. 5. fitted
to its butt end but feather as a propeller or screw in which case the buoy should
be prevented from rotating or be feathered to rotate in opposite direction and
either of these may be used for light or signal buoys at sea producing their own
light.
As to the metalic weirs. They may be utilized to add to the generating power
of the dynamos or other electric-generators on their magnetic or electric attraction
for any purpose or the influence of such may be utilized by induction or
otherwise.
As to the shutes. These may be of any form or plan or material preferred but
I prefer them made of steel or iron plate, fluted or corrugated or so impressed or
compressed as to ensure strength lightness and durability & because they will tightly
close & overlap and be easily raised or lowered.
For small weirs or shallow rivers solid iron or steel piers may be used and single
rows of shutes be employed.
Also when the gratings shown at C. in Figs. 1. 2 & 3 are not required the piers
should be made to present fronts to face the currents in similar pointed form and if
desirable to present even less obstruction to the overflow or the river when the
shutes are lifted-the upper parts of the piers may be made of less width or be cast
solid and the lower parts only be filled in with masonry.
In Fig. 10 is given an example showing how buoys may be utilized to generate
electricity for land or for self-lighting signals. This is a double conical buoy with
an electrical generator between them which may be feathered in any way desired
and like most of the others shown is hermetically sealed and of course any form
of buoy will answer & may be adopted but this form exposes only the floats to
the current. For light or warning signals these buoys may be balanced by
accumulators &c. & keeled so that a stand for the light may be fixed above of
any desirable height.
In Figs. 11 & 12 are given section &c. of links that form a tubular chain or
cable which can be attached to the ball end of the buoy shaft and through which
an insulated electric main for high or low tension can be past to convey through
its mooring place to land an electric current and by which the shore ends of electric
cables can be protected from injury. These links can be made in any size and of
any metal but steel should be preferred and a mode of preserving steel or iron will
be adopted.
Fig. 12 shows a plate of steel with a hole pierced in the middle with a pointed
tool so as not to reduce the strength of the plate by it, and may be round or oval
to suit the requirement.
When one plate is folded at C. the ends A & B are brought together and past
through the hole of another plate & then hot pressed together over a semicircular
ring with or without arms so as to clip or clutch it and form a ball with or without
the projections or the ring may be past over the ends of the plate and flanged
back over the ring more or less to completely fix it to bear the strain. It then
forms a ball joint in every link and when without the arms or projections forms a
swivel joint and to prevent this when not desired the arms or projections are
desirable.
A similar cable can be made of wrought tubes of two sizes, the smaller lengths
flanged outward and another size that will pass over those flanges then flanged
inward and so be held together. Thus each are capable of several modifications
& yet be on same principle and thus Figs. 11 & 12 links may be reversed by making
the middle of the plate C. to form the inner ball and the ends A & B cut larger to
pass over the ball to the ring to form the fastening or weld-or may be rolled or
stampt out in one or more parts-to form required.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what I
claim, is:-
Separately and combined
1st. The utilizing the waste and other water power of rivers canals, tides, water
falls swift currents and the like of either any where to be found for electrical or
other purposes in the several ways or by the several means hereinbefore indicated
or described or by examples given herewith in drawings.
2nd. The adaptation construction & use of lock shute and other weirs of steel or
iron piers and foundations-hollow or casings or solid in the several ways or means
hereinbefore indicated or described or shown in drawings.
3rd. The adaptation and employment of dynamos or other electric generators by
ways & means herein shown or indicated, and the utilizing of the nature of such
metalic structures or apparatus or parts of either to form generators accumulators
batteries or parts thereof or to increase the generating power of any electrical or
magnetic apparatus connected therewith and likewise utilizing the influence by
induction or otherwise of the metal or currents passing by through or over such
structures or wheels or apparatus &c. hereinbefore indicated or described.
4th. The adaptation or employment of fluted or corrugated or otherwise impressed
or compressed steel, iron, or other metallic plates to obtain lightness with strength
for shutes.
5th. The construction adaptation and employment of electric generators of any
kind for attaching to rafts or craft of any kind or to fixed or floating structures
where a current exists to generate electricity by means of hermetically sealed or
other apparatus hereinbefore indicated or described &c.
6th. The construction adaptation or employment of buoys of any kind to float
dynamos or other electric generators accumulators, batteries &c. and anchoring or
otherwise holding in any river or tidal or other current for generating or accumu-
lating electricity for exhibiting a light thereon for signal or other purposes or for
conveying to land for any purpose or otherwise.
7th. The construction adaptation and employment of tubular link chains or
cables in connection with the forementioned for containing carrying and protecting
therein insulated high or low tension electrical mains cables or for other purposes
and for anchoring buoys rafts craft of any kind and conveying electrical currents for
any purpose to or from or between land and the buoys or rafts craft or anchors as
indicated or described or shown examples of in drawings herewith or in Speci
fication 4643º¹.
1
1001
P. H. WILLIAMS.