Energy & Power
The Museum's collections on energy and power illuminate the role of fire, steam, wind, water, electricity, and the atom in the nation's history. The artifacts include wood-burning stoves, water turbines, and windmills, as well as steam, gas, and diesel engines. Oil-exploration and coal-mining equipment form part of these collections, along with a computer that controlled a power plant and even bubble chambers—a tool of physicists to study protons, electrons, and other charged particles.
A special strength of the collections lies in objects related to the history of electrical power, including generators, batteries, cables, transformers, and early photovoltaic cells. A group of Thomas Edison's earliest light bulbs are a precious treasure. Hundreds of other objects represent the innumerable uses of electricity, from streetlights and railway signals to microwave ovens and satellite equipment.
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Penning cold-cathode ion source for neon, both parts
- Description
- Brass Rectangular base to which is screwed cylindrical sopper discharge chamber shell with copper water cooling tubing cemented around the outside and a tantalum insert around the exit slot. Water cooled copper rod with insulated high voltage coaxial power lead fits into slot in shell with tantlum button cathode at top and bogtom of discharge chamber.
- Specimen consists of used shell sandblasted clean with new tantalum cathodes and slot insert. Top cathode button the most common, so called "alternate" non water cooled arrangement. Word "neon" printed in capitals indicates shell used with neon gas. Tantalum replaceable lids lacking.
- Demonstrates cold cathode heavy ion source.
- ED Hudson, ML Mallory and SW Mosko, "High Performance Heavy Ion Source For Cyclotrons," "ORNL-TM-3391" (May 1971)
- Used with Oak Ridge 63-in. cyclotron (see object ID no. 1977.0359.41).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1971
- manufacturer
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- ID Number
- 1977.0359.16
- catalog number
- 1977.0359.16
- accession number
- 1977.0359
- collector/donor number
- 76S6 type #6
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Charpak multiwire proportional chamber
- Description
- This object consists of an aluminum housing with two planes of stainless steel wires, rotated by 90 degrees, in a single window with four preamp units attached, one on each side. The wires are stretched between two planes of stainless steel mesh. See G. Charpak, et. al., Nucl. Instr. Meth. 62, 262 (1968) for details.
- Basic Principles and History
- A multiwire proportional chamber (MWPC) is constructed with alternating planes of high voltage wires (cathode) and sense wires (anode), which are at ground. All the wires are placed in a special gas environment. Spacing between planes is usually on the order of millimeters and voltage differences are typically in the kilovolt range. When a charged particle passes through the gas in the chamber, it will ionize gas molecules. The freed electrons are accelerated towards the sense wire (anode) by the electric field, ionizing more of the gas. In this way a cascade of charge develops and is deposited on the sense wires. The smaller the diameter of the sense wires, the higher the field gradient near the wire becomes. This in turn causes a larger cascade, increasing the efficiency of the chamber.
- Georges Charpak built the first MWPC in 1968. Unlike earlier particle detectors, such as the bubble chamber and the first generation of spark chambers, which can record the tracks left by particles at the rate of only one or two per second, the multiwire chamber records up to one million tracks per second and sends the data directly to a computer for analysis. The price was that each wire, accumulating ions in its immediate neighborhood, must have its own electronic amplifier to record the signal; this was only practical due to the development during the previous decade of compact and inexpensive solid-state amplifiers.
- In 1992 Charpak received the Nobel Prize for Physics in acknowledgment of his invention of the MWPC, an electronic particle detector that revolutionized high-energy physics experiments and has had applications in medical physics.
- With the invention of the MWPC, high-energy physics entered a new era. The speed and precision of the MWPC and its subsequent generations of detectors – the drift chamber (see Charpak drift chamber, object ID no. 1977.0708.01) and the time-projection chamber – revolutionized the field of experimental particle physics. The MPWC allowed experiments to collect data at much higher collision rates and to test theories predicting the production of rare events and new massive particles. Notable examples include the discoveries of the charm quark at SLAC and Brookhaven in 1974 (Nobel Prize awarded in 1976), the W and Z bosons at CERN in 1983 (Nobel Prize awarded in 1984), and the top quark at Fermilab in 1995. For additional technical information see:
- http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1992/charpak-lecture.pdf and,
- http://cds.cern.ch/record/117989/files/CERN-77-09.pdf?bcsi_scan_2687365ababd2c82=b3SiuvtOAg0NfXwMHl9pO/npSm4KAAAArlNvLw==&bcsi_scan_filename=CERN-77-09.pdf
- The Modern Physics Collection also contains one of the MPWCs used in the discovery of the charm quark at Brookhaven; see Multiwire proportional chamber from J-particle experiment of S.C.C. Ting at BNL; object ID no. 1989.0050.01.1.
- Date made
- 1968
- maker
- Charpak, G.
- ID Number
- 1977.0708.02
- catalog number
- 1977.0708.02
- accession number
- 1977.0708
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Phosphor sample
- Description (Brief)
- Sample of CBT (Cerium gadolinium magnesium Borate Terbium) phosphor. Glows green when exposed to ultraviolet light.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1995
- Maker
- Philips Lighting BV
- ID Number
- 1996.0166.06
- catalog number
- 1996.0166.06
- accession number
- 1996.0166
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Phosphor sample
- Description (Brief)
- Sample of YOX (Yttrium Oxide Europium) phosphor. Glows red when exposed to ultraviolet light.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1995
- Maker
- Philips Lighting BV
- ID Number
- 1996.0166.07
- catalog number
- 1996.0166.07
- accession number
- 1996.0166
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Argonne superconducting solenoid
- Description
- This object consists of a set of two or three nested solenoids housed within stainless steel cylindrical frames The solenoids are wound from niobium-zirconium (25%) copper coated cable. The frames have holes and slots for circulation of liquid helium within. The solenoid was designed to be used as a high-field magnet for the Argonne 10-inch liquid helium bubble chamber.
- Disjoint part 1978.0469.01.2 is a retaining ring (or flange) with notches and bolt holes that was originally mounted with 2 studs inside the outer rim of one face of the cylindrical housing of the solenoid magnet (disjoint part 1978.0469.01.1). Originally, three curved strips, each covering one third of the ring circle, were attached over the ring. These strips, the screws, that presumably held them, and the two studs are not now with the ring. The three arc strips comprise disjoint part 1978.0469.01.3.
- When acquired, the Argonne superconducting solenoid consisted of its 3 disjoint parts joined together as the original single object in the acquisition. For display in the "Atom Smashers" exhibit at the National Museum of American History, the ring .01.2 and its 3 associated strips .01.3 were removed to expose the coils of the solenoid assembly .01.1.
- In addition, three among the set of nine spacers (irregularly shaped, thin, flat non-metallic pieces) that were mounted with an adhesive on the annular face of the solenoid frame have become separated. The three separated spacers (not numbered) have been retained in storage with the disjoint parts.
- Basic Principles and History
- A magnetic field is an essential feature in a bubble chamber in order to distinguish the sign of charged particles and to measure their momenta from the curvature of their bubble tracks. Charged particles moving through a magnet field are deflected in a circular path in a direction that is perpendicular to both the magnetic field lines and their direction of motion. In a chamber of a given size, higher momentum particles require correspondingly stronger magnetic fields in order to produce particle tracks of sufficiently small radius of curvature for measurement purposes.
- To analyze the tracks from high-energy collisions, it is necessary to maintain the entire chamber in a strong uniform magnetic field (in excess of 20 kilogauss). Conventional (copper-coil) electromagnets that carry the high currents necessary to produce these magnetic fields can be prohibitively massive and can have attendant high cooling requirements. The discovery of superconductivity over a century ago raised the prospect of producing extremely intense electric currents – and thereby, the ability to generate correspondingly high magnetic fields using coils carrying those currents. Niobium was used in the various superconducting materials from which these coils were fabricated. Such niobium-based alloys must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures with liquid helium to become superconductive. In 1955 coils made with drawn niobium wire produced 5.3 kilogauss at a temperature of 1.2 degrees Kelvin. By the 1960’s, coils made of a compound of niobium and tin reached 40 kilogauss at 4 deg. K. The further development and application of these coils was subsequently carried out almost entirely at high-energy accelerator laboratories.
- In 1963, a group at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), together with physicists from Carnegie-Mellon University, began fabricating the first “large” superconducting solenoid magnet. Although built for use with a 10-inch diameter liquid helium bubble chamber, the Argonne superconducting solenoid was intended to test materials and fabrication techniques for building much larger superconducting magnets. The solenoid was originally composed of three concentric nested coils; in that form it produced 67 kilogauss. When used with the 10-inch bubble chamber, the innermost coil was removed. The coils are wound with several types of cable, with multiple strands in case any individual one should prove faulty. Holes and slots in the stainless steel casing, and stainless steel mesh between layers of winding, allow liquid helium to circulate through the magnet.
- Success with this first large solenoid led the ANL group to use superconducting coils to provide the magnetic field for a 12-foot diameter liquid hydrogen bubble chamber. Completed in 1969, they were larger by an order of magnitude than any previous superconducting coils. Thereafter, superconducting magnets were use in other bubble chambers of the same size around the world. Among other attributes, superconducting magnets had the benefit of reducing total consumption of electrical power by more than 97%.
- Date made
- 1964
- designer
- Fields, T.H.
- manufacturer
- Argonne National Laboratory
- AVCO Corporation
- ID Number
- 1978.0469.01.1
- accession number
- 1978.0469
- catalog number
- 1978.0469.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Penning cold-cathode ion source head for carbon
- Description
- Copper shell with attached water cooling tubing.
- Specimen heavily used, not sandblasted, shows extensive corrosion around exit slot. Word "CARBON" in capitals inscribed on outside of shell indicates its use for carbon ion beams
- Demonstrates cold cathode wear.
- ED Hudson, ML Mallory and SW Mosko, "High Performance Heavy Ion Source For Cyclotrons," "ORNL-TM-3391" (May 1971)
- Used with Oak Ridge 63-in. cyclotron (see object ID no. 1977.0359.41).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1971
- manufacturer
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- ID Number
- 1977.0359.17
- accession number
- 1977.0359
- catalog number
- 1977.0359.17
- collector/donor number
- 76S6 type #7
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Core memory plane for Telegdi wire spark chamber spectrometer
- Description
- A rectangular circuit board bearing on each side a grid of fine wires with solder joints and pin connections. From one end extend 32 black insulated wires formed into two tied bundles of 16 each, 90 inches long. The bundles are wrapped at intervals with black tape and with masking tape near the ends. The ends of the wires in each bundle emerge from their black sheaths, pass through short translucent plastic tubes, and enter a socket connector fitting. The fine wires running parallel to the length of the board have yellow insulation; the wires perpendicular to these are in eight sets on each side of the board. One set on each side has brown insulation; another, red insulation, and the remaining twelve appear as bare copper.
- The wires of all 16 sets terminate in connector strips along one edge of the board. On the opposite edge is a green plastic pin socket fitting . At two corners are wide copper strips folded around on each side of the board; these are soldered to strips of different metal.
- A complete spark chamber spectrometer system consists of a homogeneous magnet containing wire spark chambers with magnetic core readout. Within a spectrometer assembly, each wire chamber is connected to its corresponding core memory plane. The core planes must be located outside the spectrometer magnet. For technical details see B. A. Sherwood, Phys. Rev. 156, 1475 (1967).
- For background on the Telegdi spark chamber spectrometer assembly, see description for object ID no. 1977.0532.01.1
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1963-1964
- maker
- Telegdi, V. L.
- Sherwood, B. A.
- Fryberger, D.
- ID Number
- 1977.0532.01.2
- catalog number
- 1977.0532.01.2
- accession number
- 1977.0532
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Experimental Short Arc Lamps
- Description (Brief)
- Group of 36 experimental mini-arc lamps. Includes 9 multi-piece foils, 2 flat presses, and 25 rolled and welded foils.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1965
- maker
- Fridrich, Elmer G.
- ID Number
- 1996.3042.64
- catalog number
- 1996.3042.64
- nonaccession number
- 1996.3042
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Arc Tube Pre-pinch
- Description (Brief)
- Group of five arc lamp pre-pinches in various states of assembly and one lead fragment.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1965
- maker
- Fridrich, Elmer G.
- ID Number
- 1996.3042.94
- nonaccession number
- 1996.3042
- catalog number
- 1996.3042.94
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Experimental Fluorescent Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Sinusoidal fluorescent lamp with rare-earth / aluminate phosphors and long arc path. Broken during shipment.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1995
- Maker
- Philips Lighting BV
- ID Number
- 1996.3049.01
- catalog number
- 1996.3049.01
- nonaccession number
- 1996.3049
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Decorative Incandescent Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Decorative "Flamescent" lamp in original package. Lamp is wrapped in fiberglass for strength and light diffusion.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1994
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.01
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.01
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Rough-Service Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Production rough-service incandescent lamp. Lamp is wrapped in fiberglass for strength and light diffusion.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1994
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.02
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.02
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Decorative Incandescent Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Decorative "Flamescent" lamp in original package. Lamp is wrapped in fiberglass for strength and light diffusion.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1994
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.03
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.03
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Incandescent Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Two "Wattsaver" incandescent lamps in original package. Lamps filled with krypton gas to boost energy efficiency.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1994
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.04
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.04
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Decorative Incandescent Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Decorative lamp in original package. Lamp is wrapped in fiberglass for strength and light diffusion.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1994
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.05
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.05
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Reflector Lamp for Plants
- Description (Brief)
- Production "Wattsaver-Argo" reflector lamp rated at 64 watts. Incandescent lamp designed to aid plant growth.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1994
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.08
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.08
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Modular Compact Fluorescent Lamp
- Description
- One method that companies have long used to minimize production costs is to design products that use many of the same parts. In the early 1990s Duro-Test Lighting used this approach in a series of modular compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).
- Modular CFLs are designed so that specific parts can be replaced if they fail. This allows the reuse of expensive parts that still work. In this particular lamp, the fluorescent tube and the reflector enclosing it are made as one piece; the base-unit that houses the ballast and starter are another. In addition to allowing one to replace the tube assembly if it failed, one could swap different assemblies. The reflector lamp could be changed to a decorative lamp for example, without having to remove the base-unit.
- Since the price of electronic components has dropped since this lamp was made, the economic reasoning behind this feature is less persuasive.
- Lamp characteristics: Two-piece, modular compact fluorescent lamp including a base-unit and a tube assembly. The base-unit has a medium-screw base-shell with plastic insulator, and a plastic skirt that houses a ballast and a starter. A socket on top accepts a plug-in base. Tube assembly includes plastic plug-in base, a fluorescent tube with two electrodes, mercury, and a phosphor coating. A glass R-shaped envelope with silvered coating serves as a reflector and is glued to the tube assembly's base.
- Date made
- January 1991
- 1991-01
- manufacturer
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.09
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.09
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Modular Compact Fluorescent Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- "Duro-Brite" compact fluorescent reflector lamp. Modular design allows parts to be replaced separately.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1996
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.10
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.10
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Experimental Compact Fluorescent Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Compact fluorescent lamp made by GE’s Edward E. Hammer had a spiral discharge tube with a rare earth phosphor.
- date made
- ca 1976
- Maker
- Hammer, Edward E.
- ID Number
- 1997.0212.01
- catalog number
- 1997.0212.01
- accession number
- 1997.0212
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Production Heat-Mirror Tungsten Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- MI-T-Wattsaver lamp co-developed by Duro-Test and M.I.T. used a filter to reflect infrared rays back to the filament.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1986
- maker
- DURO-TEST Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0062.06
- catalog number
- 1997.0062.06
- accession number
- 1997.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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