The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-05-24
EDISON SOLVES
A BIG PROBLEM
His Invention Eliminates Detects
In Storage Batteries.
APPLIED TO AUTOMOBILES.
New BattsD Is Practically lndssfTuetn's
and Can Be Charged and RschaTgsd With
out PsrcsptIhls Change ln Materials

New York. May 2i-By a new invention
Thomas A. Edison has apparently solved
the problem OF the storage battery ana
has eliminated the defective features or
the lead battery as at present used.
The wizard" was seen at his nome
Ilewellyn Park, West Orange, last night.
and said that with the present storage
battery there was a dead weight OF 100
pounds for each horse power hour. lie
set himself TO work to find a cell that
would be free from this objection, and at
the same time be practically indestrucu-
BILE. have a large storage capacity per
unit OF mass, be capable of rapid dis
charge and recharge, be able TO with
stand careless treatment, and, above all
be inexpensive.
These points he feels sure he has COW
cred. and believes he has reached as far
as he was able TO see. the ne plus ultra
OF the storage battery.
''rhe main feature Of my battery
said Mr.. Edison. 'is that II is indestrueu-
bile. as Il can be charged and recharged
without perceptible change In the mate
rials. 1t is an iron nickel cell. or In
other words. the negative pole or positive
| element Is iron and the positive pole or
| Tho negative element Is a superoxide OF
| nickel.
| AS contrasted with the old lead storage
| battery of 1s6 pounds per horse power
| hour, my battery is only 533 pounds pei
| horse power hour.
! DEAD WEIGHT MUCH REDUCED.
''The construction of one cell is as fol-
\ lows: In a steel sheet number of holes
are punched-twenty-fou In fact-and ir
| each one of these holes Is placed a stee
box. thin and perforated with minute
holes. The active material is made In th'
| form OF briauettes, and is contained II
these little steel boxes. The briquettei
are condensed under pressure of on
hundred tons, which insures their beini
absolutely rigid.
THE positive briquette are compose
| of finely divided compound of iron oh
tanned by special chemical process
| mixed with an equal proportion OF graph
Ite The graphite does not enter into an
of the chemical processes, but simply as
| sists the chemical conductivity.
| The negative -briauettes Is obtained d
similarly mixing finely divided nicke
also obtained 10y a secret process, Wit
an equal bulk of graphite. This Is soHo
fed I'm the little steel boxes as In IN
case OF the iron. These two plates, on
containing twenty-four OF the iron an
graphite boxes and the other twenty
four OF the nickel and graphite boxe
constitute one cell OF the battery.
"Of course there can be as many
these cells as the experimenter desires
use. The two plates are placed In We
sci containing the potash solution al
the primary cell is complete
i CHARGING CURRENT STORES.
"The opera atian of the battery is the 70
lowing:
"When the battery is charged the Gu
: | rent ~ found TO deoxidize the iron
spongy metallic iron and 60 carry q
!, oxygen to the nickel compound, when
> | changes from the peroxide TO a high
oxide. In other words, the charging Gu
| rent simply carries the oxygen in an @
!. posite direction, against the forces
electrical affinity. from the iron TO I
| nickel. and stores the energy In the ]
duced iron.
.On the discharge OF the current
driving the motor tho reverse takes pla
the oxygen going back, reducing I
nickel superoxlde and oxdizing I
spongy iron.
, "stating the condition I'm other wor
- the cell Is an oxygen lft Charging pu
the oxygen away from the iron and :
livers IL temporarily 10 the nickel, VIII
discharging allows the oxygen 10 ~
back from the nickel 20 the iron. IL
evident that there Is here no deterio
ton, the materials being restored 10
primate condition after each compile
action
Mr.. Edison said that his new cell v
entirely unaffected by changes Of e
perature. working as well az twenty
d- Rrees below zero, as at ordinary temp
atures, and that all the attention
- needed was 10 see that the water i'm
solution WAS replenished occasionally
& AUTOMOBILE A HILL CLIMBER
10. MIR. Edison when seen yesterday sta
,ee that ne had built an electric runabout
~ his laboratory which could be charged
- one hour for a run OF thirty miles,
that this runabOut, with q weight Of G.
.er ! of only go mounds. has radius OF :
ter enty-ive miles. He stated that he
,ru tested this automobile on the roads
ier Morris county up the steepest grades
-. that section OF tho country. and
tncre were no HIao'r Nlii'h ~ ''"i"
- easily climb.
an Mr. Edison has Just purchased
cot old Hayden factory plant. IN Glen Ri
,w and will at once convert u into n
m tory FOR the manufacture OF his
storage batteries. lie stated that he
= tended 90 form company, which W.
TIT probably be STYLED the Edison StoI
"a. Battery company and manufac
an these batteries FOR the market. w
sv- there would be a company he would I
an. | troll the product.