Re-Inventing The Wheel-Part1-Clemente_Figuera-THE INFINITE ENERGY MACHINE

[bajac]

I have researched the subject related to the Ferranti's alternator and I have to say that THERE ARE VERY PROMISING NEWS, especially in the absence of a prototype and experimental data. Notice that the Ferranti alternator is exactly the same machine that I proposed in the published paper. The main difference is that instead of rotating the induced coils I proposed to move the magnets. To me the latter makes more sense because it eliminates the flow of high magnitudes of the load currents through mechanical brushes and slip rings.
Most of the information I found was just a description of the alternator. Finally, I found some information related to the performance of the Ferranti alternator. The most important information about the performance of this machine was found in a technical paper THE ELECTRICIAN/ELECTRICAL TRADES DIRECTORY--1899  at the end of the first column on page XXXIX. This section reads as follows:


"THE ZIG-ZAG ARMATURE, WHICH WAS MR. FERRANTI'S FIRST PATENT, FOLLOWED, AND A COMPANY WAS FORMED IN 1882 TO EXPLOIT THE INVENTION, MR. FERRANTI BEING APPOINTED ENGINEER TO THE COMPANY WHEN HE WAS EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE. IT WAS, HOWEVER, THEN DISCOVERED THAT SIR WILLIAM THOMSON (NOW LORD KELVIN) HAD INVENTED A MACHINE IN MANY RESPECTS IDENTICAL WITH THAT FOR WHICH MR. FERRANTI HAD OBTAINED HIS PATENT, AND ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE TO PAY ROYALTIES TO SIR WILLIAM THOMSON, AND THE MACHINE WAS AFTERWARDS KNOWN AS THE "THOMSON-FERRANTI ALTERNATOR." THE FACT THAT THIS MACHINE GAVE FIVE TIMES AS MUCH LIGHT AS OTHER MACHINES OF THE SAME SIZE NATURALLY CREATED A SENSATION IN THE ELECTRICAL CIRCLES AT THE TIME. THE POWER DEVELOPED BY THESE MACHINES WAS FOUND TO BE ENORMOUSLY GREATER THAN ANYTHING PREVIOUSLY OBTAINED, AND MANY OF THEM HAVE RUN CONTINUOUSLY FOR THE PAST FOURTEEN YEARS."

It is clear from the above that there is something especial about the Thomson-Ferranti design. It also tells me that the theory proposed in the paper I published may be right on the money.

I may have to revise the published paper based on the new information found with respect to the Thomson-Ferrranti alaternator. It looks like Figuera was not the first to come up with the concept for using ironless induced coils. Everthing points to that others inventors deviced and built ironless coils generators prior to 1880.

Thanks,
Bajac

[Cadman]

Antijon,

Good video experiment. Thank you. Most of the circuits on this thread ignore the patent where it says the resistor is a splitter of current and shows the coils connected together through the resistor. Instead they use individual wires through separate resistors. You clearly show the benefit of connecting the two coils through one resistance.

Bajac,

From what I read the Ferranti alternator was able to run the rotor at much higher peripheral speeds due to the reduced mass of the ironless coils and this was a key to the high output.

Hanon,

If you are interested, volume 2 of  Dynamo electric Machinery has an entire section on "The Principles of Alternate Currents". The subject of phase alteration with capacitors or coils is presented in depth.

[bajac]

From what I read the Ferranti alternator was able to run the rotor at much higher peripheral speeds due to the reduced mass of the ironless coils and this was a key to the high output.

Cadman,
There are a lot of information that I found to be misleading. But, I will refer you to two sources that state the RPM for the Ferranti alternator to be about 200. This is a very low speed and it makes sense for salient poles or coils type of armatures.
First, the radius of the rotor for high speed alternators is usually small and of the type interior poles. The standard practice is to build the rotor of high speed generators to be like a cylinder with a small radius and axially longer. This is a very important criteria for high speed generators. The Ferranti's generator, on the other hand, has a relative large radius and a relative small axial dimension. If the Ferranti's alternator is run at high velocities, the tangential speed of the coils will be very high and the centrifugal forces can potentially deform or rip off the coils from the armature. That is why I am skeptical of any information implying this machine ran at high speed. To maintain a frequency of 50Hz, the Ferranti's alternator should not be run at high speeds because of the high number of poles.
Second, there was a test performed on November 18th, 1899, for a 300KW alternator. This information can be found on page 972 of the ELECTRICAL REVIEW [Vol. 47. No. 1,204, December 21, 1900]. The third paragraph reads,

"...,the whole designed to give 300 KW., 2,500 volts x 120 amperes, 40 periodicity at 200 revolutions per minute."

The last five paragraphs read,
"The mean H.P. shown by the indicator cards was 499 at the mean speed of 240.9 revolutions per minute, as got from the engine counter.

The combined efficiency of the engine and the alternator, taking the above figures for electrical output and indicated horse-power, was 84.6 per cent.

Taking the figures actually obtained, the steam per KW.-hour was 24.03 lbs., being practically 2 lbs. below that allowed by the specification.

I think this is very good; and if the vacuum had been 26 or 27, the result would, of course, have been materially better.

No special preparations were made to prepare the engine for this test. The steam was supplied from boilers of the dry-back marine type, and was not superheated."

As seen from the above, the speed of the Ferranti's alternator was about 200 RPM. It is very sad that this test was performed only on the steam-alternator combination. As we all know, the steam engines (especially from that era) are very inefficient, less than 50% (Carnot cycle). And,

Third, the third paragraph of the second column on page 511 of THE ELECTRICIAN, JULY 27 1900 reads,

"The machine is designed to give 286 amperes at 2,100 volts, the frequency of course being the same as the other two machines - viz., 50 ~ per second,....

The wheel on which the armature is mounted is made in one casting, and is of ample strength to withstand the stresses set up when running at 214 revs. per min."

Bajac

[Cadman]

Bajac,

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse things.
I was referring to peripheral speed of the ones like the Deptford lighting-station machine.
1000 KW
Armature diameter = 15 ft
RPM = 120
Peripheral speed = 5850 feet per minute
48 poles
48 armature coils, 3/4" thick, with each coil generating 420 volts and 50-55 amps without over heating


BTW, not all Ferranti alternators used this design. Some were built with conventional designs.

[bajac]

Cadman,
Still, I do not understand your point of view. For a 50Hz there should be an approximate number of the energy density for these generators. The efficiency and energy density should not change dramatically unless there is something out of the ordanry going on. I think the records showing the statments related to the enormous output power when compared to other generators of the time also included the salient poles synchronous generators. These synchronous generators usually have rotors with large diameters similar to the Ferranti's alternators.

I also suspect that the larger output was due to a much lower cancellation effects of the interacting magnetic fields. Recall that the magnetic field of the ironless induced coils should have much smaller magnitudes.

Bajac