The history of the transformer. Part 3

First transformers and electric lighting

At that time, batteries were used as power sources for working with transformers (see: "Electrochemical sources of current" ), and to obtain the necessary current changes, the primary circuit was periodically interrupted and closed. After the dynamo machine, an electric power generator, also based on Faraday's discoveries, was invented in the 1960s, it became possible to use alternating current.

The first person who connected the transformer to an AC source (see: "First Alternators" ) was William Grove , who needed a high-voltage source for his laboratory experiments. But this experience remained unnoticed until Thomas Alva Edison started working on the idea of ​​electric lighting in the 1880s.

By this time there already exist electric lamps with platinum filaments and incandescent lamps based on an electric arc, or an arc discharge between two electrodes. Lamps of both types worked well, but their electrical characteristics imposed some limitations on the ways of their inclusion in the electrical circuit. In particular, all the lamps were connected in series, like Christmas garlands, so they lit up and went out at the same time.

Although this method was acceptable, for example, for street lighting, the inability to switch on and off individual lamps at arbitrary times, as well as the high voltage required for the consecutive connection of a large number of lighting devices, prevented its use in homes and small businesses.

The method of parallel connection, in which each lamp operates in its own circuit, required too thick copper wires to supply a sufficiently strong current to the lamps, which at that time had a relatively low resistance.

One of Edison's main inventions was an incandescent lamp with a carbon filament, which opened, thanks to its high resistance, the way to the practical implementation of parallel lighting systems. Using these incandescent lamps and a DC generator, Edison in 1882 created the first industrial electric lighting system in New York.

The invention of Golar

Approximately at the same time, transformers were first used in electric lighting systems in England. French inventor Lucien H. Golar and British industrialist John D. Gibbs used transformers to connect incandescent lamps to a lighting system on arc lamps. Since the arc lamps were connected in series, the primary windings of the transformers were in series with the arc lamps.

In 1882, Golar and Gibbs received a patent for their device, which they called a secondary generator. His work they demonstrated in 1883 in England, and in 1884 - in Italy. The secondary generator was not widely used, but it stimulated the creation of other devices.

Among those who were interested in the work of Golar and Gibbs, there were three Hungarian engineers from the Budapest firm Ganz and Company. They were present at the demonstration of the action of the secondary generator in Italy and came to the conclusion that the serial connection has serious drawbacks.

Upon their return to Budapest, Max Deri, Otto T. Blazhi and Karl Tseperovsky constructed and manufactured several transformers for parallel connection systems with a generator.

Their transformers (with closed iron cores, which were much better suited for parallel connection than "bundles" of iron wires with open ends) were of two types. In the first type, the wire wound on a toroidal core, in the second, on the contrary, the iron wires of the core wound around a toroidal "bundle" of conductors.

In May 1885, Dery, Blazhi and Tsipernovski demonstrated their system at the national exhibition in Budapest, which is considered to be a prototype of modern lighting systems. It consisted of 75 parallel connected transformers, which supplied power to 1067 Edison incandescent lamps from an alternating current generator with a voltage of 1350 V. The transformers had toroidal iron cores.

The Golard and Gibbs system also impressed an American named George Westinghouse . In the 80s Westinghouse was already a recognized inventor and industrialist. At that time, he worked on a system for distributing natural gas for lighting. After the successes achieved by Edison, Westinghouse became interested in a new source of energy, but doubted the possibility of its wide application.

His skepticism was sufficiently justified. In parallel systems, increasing the load required increasing the amperage, and the load on the scale of the whole city would require colossal currents. However, the transmission of electricity at high currents is inefficient. It was necessary either to transmit current through very thick copper wires, or to build power stations in close proximity to the consumer, scattering a lot of small generators throughout the city.

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