Pavel Yablochkov
Encyclopedia
Pavel Nikolayevich Yablochkov (also mistransliterated
as Jablochkoff) (Павел Николаевич Яблочков in Russian
) ( – ) was a Russian electrical engineer, the inventor of the Yablochkov candle
(a type of electric carbon arc lamp
) and businessman.
in 1866, now Military engineering-technical university
(Russian Военный инженерно-технический университет), and from Technical Galvanic School in Saint Petersburg
in 1869. After serving in the army, Yablochkov settled in Moscow
in 1873, where he was appointed Head of Telegraph Office at the Moscow-Kursk
railroad. He opened up a workshop for his experiments in electrical engineering, which laid down the foundations for his future inventions in the field of electric lighting
, electric machines, galvanic cell
s and accumulators
.
Yablochkov’s major invention was the first model of an arc lamp that eliminated the mechanical complexity of competing lights that required a regulator to manage the voltaic arc. He went to Paris
the same year where he built an industrial sample of the "electric candle" (French
patent
№ 112024, 1876). It was in Paris that he developed his arc light idea into a complete system of electric lighting powered by Zénobe Gramme
direct current dynamos fitted with an inverter to supply single-phase alternating current
. The first public use of the Yablochkov system was in October 1877 at Halle Marengo of the Magasins du Louvre
which was lit by 6 arc lights. By 1880, the system had grown in size to 120 lamps with 84 lit at a time powered by a 100 horsepower steam engine and had been operating every night for two and one half years.
The Paris Exposition of 1878
presented Yablochkov with the unique opportunity to make a spectacular demonstration for a world audience, and through the promotional efforts of Gramme was successful in having 64 of his arc lights
installed along the half mile length of Avenue de l'Opera, Place du Theatre Francais and around the Place de l'Opera. It was first lit in February 1878. Yablochkov candles required high voltage, and it was not long before experimenters reported that the arc lights could be powered on a 7-mile circuit. Yablochkov candles were superior to Lontin-Serrin regulator arc lights that each required a separate Gramme generator. Beginning in 1880, the Paris Hippodrome's 20 Serrin lights powered by 20 generators were replaced by 68 additional Yablochkov candles, based on 2 years of positive experience with 60 candles powered by just 3 generators. The impact of the 1878 Paris demonstration was a depression in the value of gas company shares which did not recover until 1880. French, English
, and American
businessmen quickly set up companies licensing Yablochkov's patents.
As part of his arc lighting patents, Yablochkov described a method of employing Michael Faraday
's discover of induction
to create a continuous current of higher voltage, where primary windings were connected to a source of alternating current and secondary windings could be connected to several electric "candles". Although it was not recognized at the time, Yablochkov's idea of using transformer
s to provide different voltages from the same AC line was the model that modern transmission and distribution
systems would settle on. As the patent said such a system "allowed to provide separate supply to several lighting fixtures with different luminous intensities from a single source of electric power".
In 1879, Yablochkov established “Electric Lighting Company, P.N. Yablochkov the Inventor and Co” and an electrical plant in Petersburg that would later produce illuminators for military vessels
and factories. There was considerable international competition to his arc lights. His lasted only one and a half hours whereas those of Charles F. Brush
lasted twice as long.
From the mid-1880s, Yablochkov mostly occupied himself with problems of generating electric energy
. He constructed the so called “magnet dynamo electric machine”, which had most of the features of the modern inductor
. Yablochkov did extensive research on transformation
of fuel energy into electric energy, suggested a galvanic cell with alkaline electrolyte
, and created a regenerative cell (the so called autoaccumulator).
Yablochkov participated in Electrical engineering exhibitions in Russia
(1880 and 1882), Paris (1881 and 1889), and First International Congress of Electrician
s (1881).
introduced the Yablochkov Award for the best work in the field of electrical engineering.
The crater Yablochkov
on the Moon
is named after him.
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
as Jablochkoff) (Павел Николаевич Яблочков in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) ( – ) was a Russian electrical engineer, the inventor of the Yablochkov candle
Yablochkov candle
A Yablochkov candle is a type of electric carbon arc lamp, invented in 1876 by Pavel Yablochkov.-Design:A Yablochkov candle consists of a sandwich of two long carbon blocks, approximately 6 by 12 millimetres in cross-section, separated by a block of inert material such as plaster of paris or kaolin...
(a type of electric carbon arc lamp
Arc lamp
"Arc lamp" or "arc light" is the general term for a class of lamps that produce light by an electric arc . The lamp consists of two electrodes, first made from carbon but typically made today of tungsten, which are separated by a gas...
) and businessman.
Biography
Jablochkov graduated from Nikolayev Engineering Institute as a military engineerMilitary engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
in 1866, now Military engineering-technical university
Military Engineering-Technical University
The Saint Petersburg Military Engineering-Technical University , previously known as the Saint Petersburg Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy, was established in 1810 under Alexander I...
(Russian Военный инженерно-технический университет), and from Technical Galvanic School in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 1869. After serving in the army, Yablochkov settled in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1873, where he was appointed Head of Telegraph Office at the Moscow-Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
railroad. He opened up a workshop for his experiments in electrical engineering, which laid down the foundations for his future inventions in the field of electric lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
, electric machines, galvanic cell
Galvanic cell
A Galvanic cell, or Voltaic cell, named after Luigi Galvani, or Alessandro Volta respectively, is an electrochemical cell that derives electrical energy from spontaneous redox reaction taking place within the cell...
s and accumulators
Accumulator (energy)
An accumulator is an apparatus by means of which energy can be stored, such as a rechargeable battery or a hydraulic accumulator. Such devices may be electrical, fluidic or mechanical and are sometimes used to convert a small continuous power source into a short surge of energy or vice versa...
.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
the same year where he built an industrial sample of the "electric candle" (French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
№ 112024, 1876). It was in Paris that he developed his arc light idea into a complete system of electric lighting powered by Zénobe Gramme
Zénobe Gramme
Zénobe Théophile Gramme was a Belgian electrical engineer. He invented the Gramme machine, a type of direct current dynamo capable of generating smoother and much higher voltages than the dynamos known to that point.In 1873 he and Hippolyte Fontaine accidentally discovered that the device was...
direct current dynamos fitted with an inverter to supply single-phase alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
. The first public use of the Yablochkov system was in October 1877 at Halle Marengo of the Magasins du Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
which was lit by 6 arc lights. By 1880, the system had grown in size to 120 lamps with 84 lit at a time powered by a 100 horsepower steam engine and had been operating every night for two and one half years.
The Paris Exposition of 1878
Exposition Universelle (1878)
The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May through to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.-Construction:...
presented Yablochkov with the unique opportunity to make a spectacular demonstration for a world audience, and through the promotional efforts of Gramme was successful in having 64 of his arc lights
Arc lamp
"Arc lamp" or "arc light" is the general term for a class of lamps that produce light by an electric arc . The lamp consists of two electrodes, first made from carbon but typically made today of tungsten, which are separated by a gas...
installed along the half mile length of Avenue de l'Opera, Place du Theatre Francais and around the Place de l'Opera. It was first lit in February 1878. Yablochkov candles required high voltage, and it was not long before experimenters reported that the arc lights could be powered on a 7-mile circuit. Yablochkov candles were superior to Lontin-Serrin regulator arc lights that each required a separate Gramme generator. Beginning in 1880, the Paris Hippodrome's 20 Serrin lights powered by 20 generators were replaced by 68 additional Yablochkov candles, based on 2 years of positive experience with 60 candles powered by just 3 generators. The impact of the 1878 Paris demonstration was a depression in the value of gas company shares which did not recover until 1880. French, English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessmen quickly set up companies licensing Yablochkov's patents.
As part of his arc lighting patents, Yablochkov described a method of employing Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....
's discover of induction
Faraday's law of induction
Faraday's law of induction dates from the 1830s, and is a basic law of electromagnetism relating to the operating principles of transformers, inductors, and many types of electrical motors and generators...
to create a continuous current of higher voltage, where primary windings were connected to a source of alternating current and secondary windings could be connected to several electric "candles". Although it was not recognized at the time, Yablochkov's idea of using transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
s to provide different voltages from the same AC line was the model that modern transmission and distribution
Electricity distribution
File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg|thumb|380px|right|Simplified diagram of AC electricity distribution from generation stations to consumers...
systems would settle on. As the patent said such a system "allowed to provide separate supply to several lighting fixtures with different luminous intensities from a single source of electric power".
In 1879, Yablochkov established “Electric Lighting Company, P.N. Yablochkov the Inventor and Co” and an electrical plant in Petersburg that would later produce illuminators for military vessels
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
and factories. There was considerable international competition to his arc lights. His lasted only one and a half hours whereas those of Charles F. Brush
Charles F. Brush
Charles Francis Brush was a U.S. inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.-Biography:Born in Euclid Township, Ohio, Brush was raised on a farm about 10 miles from downtown Cleveland...
lasted twice as long.
From the mid-1880s, Yablochkov mostly occupied himself with problems of generating electric energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
. He constructed the so called “magnet dynamo electric machine”, which had most of the features of the modern inductor
Inductor
An inductor is a passive two-terminal electrical component used to store energy in a magnetic field. An inductor's ability to store magnetic energy is measured by its inductance, in units of henries...
. Yablochkov did extensive research on transformation
Chemical transformation
In chemistry a chemical transformation shows the conversion of a substrate to a product omitting the reagents and catalysts or underlying reaction mechanism as opposed to a chemical reaction...
of fuel energy into electric energy, suggested a galvanic cell with alkaline electrolyte
Electrolyte
In chemistry, an electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that make the substance electrically conductive. The most typical electrolyte is an ionic solution, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
, and created a regenerative cell (the so called autoaccumulator).
Yablochkov participated in Electrical engineering exhibitions in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(1880 and 1882), Paris (1881 and 1889), and First International Congress of Electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
s (1881).
Legacy
In 1947, the USSRSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
introduced the Yablochkov Award for the best work in the field of electrical engineering.
The crater Yablochkov
Yablochkov (crater)
Yablochkov is a ruined lunar crater that is located on the northern hemisphere of the Moon's far side. It lies almost due south of the large walled plain Schwarzschild....
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is named after him.
See also
- Thomas EdisonThomas EdisonThomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
- Yablochkov candleYablochkov candleA Yablochkov candle is a type of electric carbon arc lamp, invented in 1876 by Pavel Yablochkov.-Design:A Yablochkov candle consists of a sandwich of two long carbon blocks, approximately 6 by 12 millimetres in cross-section, separated by a block of inert material such as plaster of paris or kaolin...
Further reading
- A biographical research of the life of Pavel Nikolayevich Yablockkov by Prof. Lev Davidovich BelkindLev Davidovich BelkindProf. Lev Davidovich Belkind was a Soviet scientist, engineer and historian; author of numerous publications on the history of science and technology....