Electricity for the farm: Light, heat and power by inexpensive methods from the water wheel or farm engineAnderson, Frederick Irving
Science
Electricity for the farm: Light, heat and power by inexpensive methods from the water wheel or farm engine
Anderson, Frederick Irving
Electricity in agriculture
Since constant voltage is the result aimed at by the use of a
governor, the same result can be attained in other ways, several of
which will be explained here briefly.
_Over-Compounding_
(1) Over-compounding the dynamo. This is simple and cheap, if one buys
the right dynamo in the first instance; or if he can do the
over-compounding himself, by the method described in the concluding
paragraphs of Chapter Seven. If it is found that the speed of the
water wheel drops 25 per cent between no load and full load, a dynamo
with field coils over-compounded to this extent would give a fairly
constant regulation. If you are buying a special dynamo for direct
drive, your manufacturer can supply you with a machine that will
maintain constant voltage under the normal variations in speed of your
wheel.
_A System of Resistances_
(2) Constant load systems. This system provides that the dynamo shall
be delivering a fixed amount of current at all times, under which
circumstances the water wheel would not require regulation, as the
demands on it would not vary from minute to minute or hour to hour.
This system is very simply arranged. It consists of having a set of
"resistances" to throw into the circuit, in proportion to the amount
of current used.
Let us say, as an example, that a 50-ampere generator is used at a
pressure of 110 volts; and that it is desirable to work this plant at
80 per cent load, or 40 amperes current draft. When all the lights or
appliances were in use, there would be no outside "resistance" in the
circuit. When none of the lights or appliances were in use (as would
be the case for many hours during the day) it would be necessary to
consume this amount of current in some other way--to _waste it_. A
resistance permitting 40 amperes of current to flow, would be
necessary. Of what size should this resistance be?
The answer is had by applying Ohm's Law, explained in Chapter Five.
The Law in this case, would be read R = E/C. Therefore, in this case R
= 110/40 = 2-3/4 ohms resistance, would be required, switched across
the mains, to keep the dynamo delivering its normal load.
The cheapest form of this resistance would be iron wire. In place of
iron wire, German silver wire could be used. German silver wire is to
be had cheaply, and is manufactured in two grades, 18% and 30%, with a
resistance respectively 18 and 30 times that of copper for the same
gauge. Nichrome wire has a resistance 60 times that of copper; and
manganin wire has a resistance 65 times that of copper, of the same
gauge.
First figure the number of feet of copper wire suitable for the
purpose. Allowing 500 circular mills for each ampere, the gauge of the
wire should be 40 × 500 = 20,000 circular mills, or approximately No.
7 B. & S. gauge. How many feet of No. 7 copper wire would give a
resistance of 2-3/4 ohms? Referring to the copper wire table, we find
that it requires 2006.2 of No. 7 wire to make one ohm. Then 2-3/4 ohms
would require 5,517 feet.
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