The origin of electrotechnology

Research of thermal and chemical properties of the electrical current conducted by physicists E. Carlyle, W. Nicholson, VV Petrov, G. Davy, Michael Faraday, X. E. Lenz, DP Joule, BS Jacobi, We laid the scientific foundations and practical electrochemistry electrothermics.

Industrial electrochemistry started with the development of electroplating process copper refining and extraction by electrolytic hydrogen and oxygen. Originally served as a source of electricity galvanic battery. The lack of cost-effective and sufficiently powerful generators hindered practical application of electrochemical and electrothermal processes.

Only the emergence in the early '70s dynamo gave a significant impetus to the development of electrochemistry and electrometallurgy. Another larger scale these industries gained with the introduction of centralized power.

By the end of the nineteenth century. electrolytically produced on a large scale refined copper chlorate salt, chlorine, some alkali, ozone (for sterilization and cleaning water). Develop and improve the electroplating.

The use of electricity has led to the emergence and development of new methods of production of artificial fertilizers for agriculture. At the same time, a number of electrometallurgic and electrochemical industries based on the use of electric furnaces. It was invented and began to put into practice a new method of treatment of metals - welding.

One of the first attempts (1867) to weld two pieces of metal at the point of electrical contact belonged to the American scientist and engineer J. Thomson. In practice, this method only started using the 90 years after capital improvements. By this time, many countries are already widely used "elektrogefest" developed by Russian inventor Nikolai Benardos. In 1882 he carried out electrical metal welding, arc are alloyed with the additionally introduced filler electrode. He offered a few types of welding: contact, welding in a jet of protective gas (1887), and others.

In 1888, Russian engineer NG Slavyanov invented a method of welding melts the metal electrode, and called it the "electric casting of metals."

Electric welding metal has become very popular in Western Europe in the factories Creusot and society - "Komantri" (France), at the enterprises of the largest in Essen (Germany) l "Ergard and Gay" (Austria), more than 20 factories in England. Especially fast electric welding was introduced into England, where in 1890 was built a special plant for the production of welding machines and operating methods of electric welding plant Coffey and Detrua, adapt elektrogefest for welding small objects. Elektrogefest also used for metal cutting and drilling.

Unfortunately, the home of inventors Electric - a new way in Russia has received limited use: a few railway workshops. By the early 900s, more than 70 major Western European plants have introduced methods of electrical casting and soldering. However, after the industrial development in 1906, oxyacetylene welding of interest in electric welding temporarily fell.

The development of electrometallurgy and electrochemical industries with electrical heating has become possible after the creation of high-quality and cost-effective electric furnaces. One of the earliest attempts to construct an electric furnace refers to a piece of 1815 steel g. placed in a special cell was heated by passing a current thereto.

It was a direct action resistance furnace. Such furnace industrial value was created in 1884 by brothers Kouls in the United States for recovery of aluminum and its alloys produce. Another view - indirect resistance furnace: they heat in the heater of special tokoprvvodyaschego material. For a long time these devices were only in laboratories.

As compared to more progressive resistance furnaces were arc furnace using an electrical arc discharge. Such furnaces can be obtained in a small amount of heat concentration great enough to melt even the most refractory metals and minerals. This was the main advantage of electrothermal devices compared to conventional metallurgical furnaces in which enormous heat loss stem from the heating furnaces themselves and their extensive radiation surfaces.

Almost suitable design arc furnace V. Siemens created in the 70s of XIX century. Over time, we developed a lot of similar vehicles. Among the works of Russian electric arc furnace may be noted Slavyanov NG (1890) - the so-called mold, in which the seal electrical steel castings.

In 1892, French chemist A. Moissan built electric arc furnace is widely used in the chemical and metallurgical technologies. Power first Moissan furnace was not more than 30 kW, and in the second half of the 90s reached 200 kW and higher. For them power used AC and three-phase and single-phase currents.

One of the main conditions for a convenient and cost-effective operation of electrothermal apparatus consisted of a small coal consumption of the electrodes, and the possibility of easy and precise arc control. In practice, a proliferation of inductive automatic controllers, which were issued by the American firm «General Electric».

Electric furnace, initially used to produce calcium carbide, steel technical basis for the preparation of ferro-alloys and steel.

Operation of high-power electric arc furnaces has been associated with significant difficulties due to the huge atolchkov "DC - rated current furnace reaches several hundred amperes provided the characteristics of the arc of crucial importance for the technological process in particular, arc elongation promoted efficiency furnaces, as the arc while doing.. more stable and improved transfer of heat to the metal. in order to impart the arc shape and size desired resorted from the first furnace Siemens to install electromagnets.

A good way to lengthening the arc was found by Russian engineer SI enforcement (1916): in a furnace pawned copper coil in series with the electrodes, the interaction of the electromagnetic field of the solenoid with the arc caused the arc to rotate, making it longer.

We continue the search for rational induction heating methods. In 1900, the Swedish FA Kjellin invented an induction furnace supplied with a current of normal frequency (for the smelting of non-ferrous metals). In 1907, AN Lodygin proposed heating and melting metals using eddy currents. In industrial plants in the first decade of the XX century. used three-phase induction furnaces Rёhling-Rodengauzera and Cellini.

At the end of the last century, electrochemistry, electrometallurgy and Electroheat entered into close cooperation. Over time, these areas of electrical engineering emerged as an independent branch of science and technology. These electric capacity production evolved as the centralization of power generation and its cheaper. The most promising in this case turned out to be electricity from hydroelectric plants. In Russia, it does not have a powerful power plant, electric capacity production evolved slightly. Mainly used for electric energy.

In the period under review stood electrical engineering from physics and became an independent branch of technology and industry. In 90 years on the basis of developing a three-phase alternating current electric power system has gained independence. This entailed a profound transformation in all spheres of social production. Beginning of the transition from mechanical power transmission to the drive systems of working machines.

Shukhardin SV "technique in its historical development"