10
15
20
35
ge
_may be still further improved
4s
UnitTep STATES
NIKOLA, TESLA,
PATENT OFFICE.
OF NEW YORK, N. Y.
METHOD OF INSULATING ELECTRIG CONDUCTORS.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Reismued Letters Patent No. 11,865
Original Ho, 065,806, dsted August 14, 1900. Applloatina fur relerse i}ed Beptemvee 21, 1900,
To all wham it may concern:
‘Beitknown that I, NTKOLA TESLA, citizen
of the United States, residiog in the borough
of Manbattag, in the city, county, and State
of New York, bave Invented certain new and
useful Improvements in Methods of Inst
ing Electric Conductors, of which the follow-
ing is a specification, reference belng had to
the | drawings.
Tt has long been known that:many sab-
atanees which are more or less conducting
when in the fluid condition hecome insola-
tare when solidified. Thus water, which is
in amensure conducting, acquires insulating
‘properties when converted into ice, ‘The ex-
isting information on thia subject, however,
‘has been heretofore of a general natare only.
and chiefly derived from the original observa-
tions of Faraday, who estimated thatthe sub-
stances upon which he experimented, suc
‘a8 water and aqueous solutions, insulate an
electrically-charged conductor about one hun-
dred times better when rendered solid by
freezing, and no attempt bas been made to
improvethe quality of the insulation obtained.
hy this means or to practically utilize it for
such purposes asare contemplated {n my pres-
ent invention. Ic the.conrse of my‘own in-
Vextigations, more especially those of the elec-
tric properties of ice, Thave discovered some
novel and important facts, of which the more
prominent are the following: first, thatunder
certain conditions, when the leakage of the
electric charge ordinarily taking place ¥a rig-
orons!y prevented, ice proves iteelf to bes
much better inaulator than has heretofore ap-
peared; second, that its Insulating properties
“by the addi-
‘ton of other bodies to the water; third, that
the dielectric strength of ice or other frozen.
nqueous substance increases with the reduo-
tion. of temperature and corresponding {n-
crease of hardness, and, fourth, that these
bodies afford a util! more ‘effective insulation
for conductors carrying intermittent or altor-
nating currents, particularly of ‘bigh rates, '
surprixingly-thin Nayera ‘of ice being capable
of withstandingelectromnotive forces of many
hundreds and even thousandsof volts. These
‘and other observations have led me to the In-
vention of a novel method of insulating con-
ductors, rendered practicable by reason
t- | maintatoing
‘ofthe |
dated October 28, 1900,
Seria! Wo. 90,722,
above faite and advantageous in the utiliza.
tion of energy for industrial and
commercial purposes.
‘This method consists in insulating an elec-
tric conduetor by freesing or solidifying and
fn auch state the material sur
Founding or contignous to the conductor,
asing for the purpose 8 us cooling agent 60
Creuiating through ove or moresultablectian~
nels extending through or Iu proximity to the
said materia).
Td the practical carry!
1 may employ a hollow conduotor and past
the cooling agent throngh the same, ‘thus
freezing the water or other medium ‘iu con-
‘tact with or close to auch conductor, or Imay
hase expressly for the elrealation of the ooo!
ing agentan inde jent chasinel and freeze
or solidify the it aubatande in which
55
agout of my method
wh | any number of condactors may be embediled.
‘The condactors may be ‘bare or covered with
some «material which is espable of keéping
them insulated when {t {x frozen or solidified. 75
The frozen mass way be im direct touch with
the sntrounding medium, or it may bein s de-
gree ‘from contact with the same by
z inelosure more or ees impor tof heat.
‘he cooling agent may be #1 KAS, 18
wae eta Sie oxygen, oxrbonlc acid, >-
monia, illuminating-gas, orhydrogen. Itmay
be foreed throngh the channel by re oF
s
used, being driven back and forth.or stendlly
ciroulateg 1a cloned pats ‘underany suitable
conditions a5 preest
perature, and velocity. reas
‘To conduce to # better understanding of 9°
the invention, reference is now made to the
aying drawings; in which—
Tigures 1, 8,8, 7, 8, and 9 illustrate in lon-
gitadinal ‘section typical ways of carrying out
fay invention; aad Figs. %, 4, * and 10, in 95
section, or partly so, constructive details to be
bed.
in Fig. T, C th a hollow condactor, sach-as
acteel tube, latd ina body of ‘water and com-
‘aunicating with # reservoir r’, bat eleviric- 200
ally insalsted from the same atj. A
or: ‘compressor p,of ‘any suitable construction,
chnuecte 7 with another aimllar tank 1°; pro-
vided. withaninlet-valvec! Theairorother2 11,866
which ia used as,the cooling agent entor-
ing throngh the valyov* is drawn through the
tank rand puwpp into the reservoir’, encap-
ing thence through ‘the ‘conductor. O-wnder
any desired pressnre which may be regulated
hy a valve’. Both the reservoira r’ and 7°
are kept at a low temperature hy suitable
weans, as by coils or tubes’? ¢’ aud # B,
through which any kind of refrigerating Said
20° may be clreulated, some provision being pref-
erably made for adjusting the flow of the
name, as by valves.o’.:. Tho gas continuonsly
ing through the tube or conductor C be-
Toevery cold will freeze and maintainin this
15 state the water in contact with or adjacent to
the eonduotor and. ao-insulate it, Flanged
bushings¢ #, of non-conducting materialmay
‘be ‘used to prevent. the leakage of the current
which would otherwise occur, owing to the
so‘formation of a superfidial film of molsture
over the ice: projecting out of the water. .. The
tube being kept insulated by this means inay
eno inthe. mariner of an oral
nary tel ner cable by con!
a5 ingeither or both'of: the: ‘forminals &° Bina
”” eirouitAncluding the earth.
=, It;tany cases. ir-Will, be, of advantage to
“cover, the hollow couductor with athickilayer
of) noms cheap material, as felt, this-beiig in-
6: dioated: by O* in Fig.-2. . ‘Buch’ a covering,
palietinble by water, would be ordinarily of
tle of-tio nse; but’ wheit embedded in the
fee It ip proves. the inaulatixig qualities of the
‘annie. Jn this instance it farthermore serves
"to greatly'redaoe the quantity of ice required,
‘Tite rate.of melting,
“trom the outside, thas diminishing the e
= penditure of energy necessary for the mai
terianoe of it workfag conditions. As
regards this energy and other:particulars of
‘inaportanee they will: vary.according to the
‘apeoial demands in each ease:
‘:., Generally considered, the cooling agent will
Lave to carry away beat ata rate eu:
o keep the conductor at the desired tempera
jure and to maintain'a layer of the required
‘Shickbess of the substance surrounding {tin
_-_/ & frozen state, compensating continually for
~. the heat owing in throngh the layer aud wall
§¢.of the conductor and ‘that. generated by mo-
=-; “Ghanical and electrical friction. - To meet
these conditions, its cooling capacity, which
. ,. da depenident on’ the. temperatare, density,
‘velocity, and specific heat, will be calculated
$8 by the holp of data and formule. fawiliar to
‘guytneers: Alr will bé, as #:role, suitable.
‘for: the ase contemplated; but in exceptional
instances nome other Bas, as: hydrogen, may
Aue ‘Yesorted to, which will permit a macl
66. ‘grBator rate of cooling and a lower tempera-
bake. td be reached. ~ Obviously whichever
:_trbllow eonductor’or channel be thoroughly
._ “ideled''and separated from-all whieh by con-
‘6s densation ‘and deposition-or otherwise might
_‘cause'an obstruction to its passage. For
‘thene' purposes ‘apparatus may be employed.
“: then be employed
as
and the inflax of heat | tai
ficient | this kind is {lustrated {n Fig. 3, in ‘ebicl c
to the onteide through the tube wand satab-
lishes
which ia well known and which it is unneo:
to show in detail.
Instead ‘of being wasted at the distant sta- 7<
tion the eooling agent may be turned tosome
profitable use.” Evidently In the industrial
‘and commereial exploitation of my invention
any kind of cooling agent capable of meeting
‘the reqiiirements may be conveyed from one
‘to another station and there utilized for re-
frigeration, power, heating, lighting, sanita-
tion, chemical processes, or avy other put-
‘pore to which it may-lend itself, and thus the
revenue of the plant may be incrensed.
. As to the temperature. of the conductor, it
will be determined by the nature of its use
and considerations of economy. Forinstance,
if itbe employed for the transmission of tele-
[wate messages, when the loss in electrical
friction may be of no consequence, a very low
temperature way not be required; but if it
be osed for transmitting large amounts of
electrical etiergy, wher the frictional waste -
may be a serious drawhack, ir will be desir-
able to keep it axtremely cold. The attal;
ment of this object will be facilitated by any
provision for reducing aa much as possible
the flowing in of the heat from thesurround
ing medium. Cléarly the lower the tempera- 95
tare of the conductor the smaller will be the
‘oes in electrical frietion; but, on the other
hand, the colder the eondnetor the greater
will be the infiax of ‘heat from the outside
and the cost of cooling agent. From auch
and simflar considerations the temperature
securing ‘the highest coonomy will be ascer-
nr : :
Most frequently in the distribation of elec-
tricity for industrial purposes, as in my sys-
tem of power transmission by alternate cur-.
renta, more than one conductor will be re-
aired, and in such eases it may be conven-
ont tovtrealate the cooling agent in a closed
path formed by A plan of
conductors
and O represeat two hollow oonduetors em-
bedded in # frozen mass undergroand and
communicatii ively; with the reser-
‘yoirs B’ and B’, which are connected by a
ciprocating or ther snltable palnp P. Cool-
ing coils or tubes TY I’ and T* T?, vega:
lating-valves o'-v" are émployed, which are- |:
aint to and serve the same purpose a
those shown in Fig. 1.° Other fentnres of
‘similarity, ‘thongh ‘unnecessary, are. illusy.,
trated to facilitate an understanding of the
‘plan. A three-way. valve V? is provided,
which when placed with its lever:1 ‘as Indi- .
cated allows the cooling agent: to enter
through the tubes u’ w* and pamp P, thi
filling the reservoira 2’ R? and hollow oon: |
ductors O' O*; but when turned ninety de-
grees the valve-shute aff the comyaunteation
13¢
ii & connection berweon the reservuir R* *
and pomp. P through the tubes u* and u, thus
itting the cooling agent to be alreniated
in the closed path C’ C* R! ri.4? BR’ by the11,968 . a
action of the pump. Another valve V’, of
suitable construction, may be used for regu-
Inting the fiow of the cooling agent. The
conductors C’ G are insnlated from the res-
. 5 ervoirs B’ Rt and from ench other at the
jolnts J’ J* J*, and they are farthermore pro-
tected ‘nt the places where they. enter Aud
leave the ground by flanged buahings I’ 1’
P, of.fnsalating material, which extend into
x0 the frozen mass in order to ‘prevent the enr-
rentfrom leaking, asaboveexplained. Bind-
ing-poste B’ B’ and B* B*are provided for con-
necting the conductors to the cirouit at exch
station.
To laying the condactors, as C’ C*, what-
ever be their number,n trench will gener-
ally he dug aod « trough, round or square,
as T, of smaller dimensionsthan the trench,
placed in the same, the intervening space
20 being. Brake ‘with some materia? (designated
by MM M) niore or less {mpervions to heat,
as sawdust, ashes, orthélike. Next thecon-
ductora will be put in-position and tempo-
rarily supported in any convénient manuer,
2g and, finally, the trough will be filled with
“ator or other substance W, which will be
gradnally frozen by circulating the cooling
agent fn the closed path, a& beforedeweribed.
faually the trench will not be-level, bat will
go follow the undalations of the ground, and
thie will make 1t necessary to subdivide the
trough in sections or to-effeot the freezing of
thé substance filling it snocessively,in parts.
‘This being done’ and the condaciors thus
35 insalated and. fixed, a layer of the sime or
aimilar material M'M M will be placed. on
the top and the whole covered with earth or.
pavement. ‘The trough may be of metal, as
. sheet-iron, and in eases-where the ground
40 ja used as the retura-circait it may serve
a8 8 main, or {¢ may bo of uny kind of ma-
terial more or lors tusulating. Figs: 4 and
5 {iluatrate in cross-section twa such under-
, ground troughs ‘IY aud ?’, of sheet metal,
45 With their sdiathermanousinclosures, (desig-
Ss
nated M’ and M", respectively.) ‘each trough |
containing asingle central hollow conductor,
as CO". In the firstease the jnsulation W"
ig anpposed to’be ice obtained by freezing
water preferably freed of alr-in order to ex-
clude the formation of dangerons bubbles or
vsrities, while in the second ‘case the frozen
roass ‘W’ is some aqueous or other substance
or mixture highly insolating wheri'in this
condition. 7
Itshould be stated that in many instances
it may be practicable to dispense with &
trough by resorting to simple expedients in
the placing and insulating of the couductors.
In fact, for some purposes it may hesuffcient
to simply cover the latter with # moist mass,
‘as cement or other plastic material, which so
Jong, asit is képt ata very low temperature
aa ‘frozen hard wilt afford adequate insula-
55
65 ton.
‘Another typloal way of oarrying out my in-
vention, to which references has already been
illustrated in Fig. 7, showing « trough
made, is shown. in Fig. 6, which re) ts
the cross-section of ugh, the same.in |.
other respects as those before shown, but 70
containing instead of a hollow conductorany
kind of pe or condalt L. Thecooling agent
may be ‘driven.in any convenient manner
through the pipe for-the purpose of frees-
fog the water. or other substance filling the 75
trough, thus ingolating and fixing a number
of conductorsodc, Sacha plan aiay be par-
ticularly suitable in olties for insulating and:
fixing telegraph and telephone wires or the
like. In stich cases an exdendingly-low tem. 80
perature of the cooling ayent may uot bere-
quired, and the insulation will-be obtained
at the expense of little power. The conduit
L may, however, be used simultaneously for.
‘conveying and distributing any Kind of gase- 85 :
Gus cooling agent for which there isademand -
through the distelct. Obviously twosuch con"
duite may be provided and used in « simflar
in ‘the 90
manner.as the conductors O' O. .
It will often be desirable to place
gaine trough a great number of wires or von-
ductors serving for a variety of: purposes.
Inench acase a plan may be adopted which fe
Jar-to that in Fig. 6 with the conductors It
‘orose-nection. The cooling agent may be in
this instance circulated, as in Fig. 8 or oth-
erwisa, through the fwobollow oonductars OF
and C*, which if foand:advantageous may be
covered with a layer of cheap material mm,
auch as wil] improve their insulation, bat not
prevent the freezing or solidification of the
Surroundingenbstance W. The tubular cou-
ductors 0’ GC preferably of tron, may then
nerve to convey -heavy currents for suppiring
light and power,while the small ones ¢’ oc,
embedded: n the ice or frozen mass, may be
used.for any otherpurposes. i
‘While my tuveotion, contemplates, chiefly,
the fngulation of conductors employed in the
transmission of electrical.energy to 9 dis-
tanoes, it may be, obviously, otherwise use-
fully applied. - In some instances, for exam-
ple, It may be desirable to insulate and sup-
port @ conductor in places as is ordinarily 115
done by means of glass or poroslaln insala-
tors. This may be effected in many ways by
conveying a cooling agent either through the
conduotar or rhrongh au independent chan-
nel and freesing or solidifying any kind of
substance, thus enabling it to serve the pur-
pose. Such an artificial inealatiag-support
is illassrated in Fig. 8, in which a represents
‘a vessel filled with water-or other substance
40, frozen by the agent circulating through
the hollow contiuetor C", which is thas inau-
lated and supported. ‘To improve the insu:
lation on the top, where it ix most lixble to
give way, a layer of some substance’, soll,
may be used, and the condnetor may be oov-
ered near the support with insulation 47, az
shown, the same extendiog into the oil, for
reasons well underatood.
‘Anather typical application of my inven-1
45
3:
4
4
4
tion is shown in Fig. 9, in which P’ and S'
represent, respectively, the primary and sec-
ondary conductors, bare or insulated, ofa
transformer, which are wound.on a core N
‘and immersed in water or other substance W,
contained in a jai II, and, as before stated,-
preferably. froed of air by boiling or other-
wise. ‘The cooling agent is circulated in any
convenient manner, as through the hollow
primary I’, fur the purpose oi freezing: the
Substance W. Flanged bushings dand oil-
cupsee, extending into the frozen maes, illus-
trate suitable means for insulating the ends
of: the two conductors and preventing the
Jonkaye of the currents. A transformor as
described is eapecially fitted for use with cur-
rents of high frequency when.a low tempera-
tare-of the conductors is particularly desir-
able, and ice affords an exceptionally-effect-
ive insulation.
twill be understood that my invention may
be applied in many other ways, that the spé-
cial means here described will be grostly va-
ried according to the necessities, and that in
each case many expedients will be adopted
which are woll knows to engineers and elec:
tridians and on ‘which it is unnecessary to
°
s
0
5
se
dwell. However, it’ may be usefal to state
that in.some, instances a special provision
will have'to bé made for effecting « uniform
cooling of the substance surrounding the con-
Auetor throughont its longth. Assuming in
Fig. 1 the cooling agent to escape at the dis-
tant ond freely into the atmosphgre or Into a
reservoir maintained at low pressure, itwillin
passing through the hollow conductor Cmove
witha velocity steadily increasing toward the
end, expanding isotbermally, ornearly so, and
‘hence it willoausean approxitmately-uniform
formation of ice along the conductor. In the
plan fllustrated in Fig. 3 a similar result will
be in a measure attained, owing to the com-
pousating effect of the hollow conductor C’
and C, which may’ be still further enhanced
by reversing periodically the direction of the
flow in any convenient manner; bat in many
cases special arrangements will have to be
employed to render the cooling more or less
uniform. ‘For instance, referring to Figs. 4,
5, and 6, instead of a single channel twocon
centric channels L’ and L? may be provided
and the cooling agent pasred throngh onaand
returned through the other, as indicated, dia-
grammatically, in Fig. 10.’ In this and any
similararrangement when the flow takes place
. in opposite directions the object aimed at will
6
6:
&
‘be more completely attained by reducing the
temperate of the circulating cooling agent
at the distant station, which may be done by
simply expanding it into a large reservoir,
as B® or cooling it by meansof a tube or coil
‘T? or otherwise. Evidently in the case illus-
trated the concentric tubes may. be used as.
independent conductors if insulated from
each other and from the ground by the frozen
or solidified substance. .
Generally in the transmission of electrical
11,865
energy in large amounts, when the quantity
of heat to be carried off may be considerable,
refrigerating apparatns thoroughly protected
‘against the luflow of heat from tho outside,
as usual; will be employed st both the sta~
tions and when the distance between them is
very grent also at intermediate points, the
machinery being advantageously operated by
the currents transmitted or cooling agent
conveyed. . In.such cuses a fairly-uniform.
freezing of the insulating. substance will be
attained without, difficulty by the compen-
gating effect of the oppositely - circulating
cooling agents. In large plants of this kind
‘whon the saving of electrical energy in the
transmixsion is the most important consider-
ation or when the chief object is to reduce
tlie cost of the mains by the employment.of
cheap metal, as iron or otherwise, every ef-
fort will be tade to maintain the conductors
jo
5
at the lowest possible temperature, and well- -
known refrigerating processes, as those based
on the regenerative principle, may be resorted
to, and in this and any other case the hollow
conduetors or channelsinstead of merely serv-
ing the purpose of conveying thecooling agent.
may themselves form active parts of the re-
frigerating apparatus.
From the above description it will be readily
séen that my invention forms # fandamen-
-tal departure in the principle from the eatab-
lished methods of insulating conductors em-
ployed ‘in the industrial and commercial ap-
plication of electricity. It aims, broadly, at
obtaining’ insulation by the continuous
nditure of a moderate amount of energy
instead of securing it only by virtue of anin-
herent physical property of the material used
‘as heretofore. More espectutly, its object is
1 provide, when and wherever required, 1
sulation of high quality, of any desired thick-
ness, and exceptionally cheap, and to enuble
the tranamission of electrical energy under
conditions of economy heretofore unattain-
able and at distances until now impracticable
by dispensing with the necessity of using
contly conductors and insulators,
‘What I claim as iny invention is—
1. The method of insulating electric con-
uctora herein described which consists in im-
parting insulating properties to material sur-
rounding or contignons to theaaid condactor
by the continued action thereon of # gaseous:
cooling agent, us set forth.
2, The method of insulating electric con-
actors herein described which consists in re-
ducing to and maintainin ‘
lidified condition the material surrounding or
oe eens to the said conductor by the-ac-
tion thereon of a gaseous coolingagent main-
tained in circulation through one or more
channels ad set forth,
3. The method of insulating electric oon-
ductors ‘herein described which consists in
surrounding or supporting the conductor by
material which acquires insulating properties
when in a frozen or solidified state, and main-
95
rot
a5"
a
20
3°
“tai
11,868 %
ing ‘the material in auch a.state by the
circulation through one or more channels ex-
tending through itof a gaseous cooling agent,
as set forth. 7
‘4. Themethod of insulating anclectriccon-
ductor which consists in surrounding or sup-
porting said conductor by a materiai.which
Aoquires insolating properties when frozen or
solidified, and maintaining the material in
such state by passing a gaseous cooling agent
continuously through.» chanuel in said con-
Auetor, as set forth.
5. The method of insulating electric oon-
ductors, which consists in surrounding or 6up-
porting the said conductors by & ‘material
Which acquires insnlating properties when in
‘a frozen or solidified state, and maintaining
the material in such state by the continued
application theretoof agaseouscooling agent,
aw'sot forth. ;
6. The ‘method of: insulating condactors
herein set forth which consists in eurroand-
ing oF supporting the conductors by 8 mate-
-rial which acquires ingulating properties
when ina frozen or solidified state, and main-
taining the material in euch state
ealation of @ gaseous cooling
x cirentt of pipes or tubes extending through
the said material as set forth. .
7. The method of insulating electric ebn-
nctors which consists in laying or support-
ing the conductors in.a trough or condait fll.
by the eir-
nt through |
ing the trough with a material which acquires
insulating properties when frozen or solidi-
fied, and then causing a gasoous cooling agent 35
to clrenlate through oue or more.channels ex-
tending through the material in the trough 80
an ‘to freeze or solidity the material, a8 seh,
forth.
8. ‘The method ‘of insulati electric con-
ductors which consists in embedding thesame
ini w moistor plastic componnd which acquires
inenlating properties when in. frozen or 80-
Hdlfied state, and maintaining the compound
in such state by circulating 4 gaseous cooling
agent through one or more channels extend-
ing through the compound, as eet forth.
§, The method of insulating electric con-
uctors which cousists in laying or support-
ing the conductors ina trough oreondait, fill- so
ing the trongh with a fuatorial which, acqpires
intulating properties when frozen or solidi-
fled, protecting the trough from thesurround-
ing medium in which it is laid by an adia-
thermanoue-inclosure, and then freezing or 55
solidifying the material surrounding the con-
ductors and maintaining the came in such
state by cireulating » gaseous cooling agent.
through one or more obannels. extending
through the same, as seb forth.
NIKOLA TESLA.
Witnesses:
Drury W, Coorer,
Joun C. KERR.
4‘No. 11,865. Reissued Oct. 23, 1900.
W. TESLA.
WETHOD OF INSULATING ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS.
(CApplinntion fled Sept. 51, 19001