Liquids, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1888

page_text: Liquids, and Apparatus therefor.
I, AUGUSTE DE MÉRITENS of 44 Rue Boursault Paris in the Republic of France,
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This Invention relates to the employment of an alternate electric current for
treating water, beer, wine and other liquids for the purpose of destroying the injurious
germs and organisms which they contain and imparting the characteristics of maturity
to wine and the like. The Invention also relates to apparatus by means of which
the said current is caused to act upon the liquid hereinafter described.
Water commonly contains vibrionidæ microbes and other animalcule or living
organisms which may be seen by the aid of a powerful microscope. If an alternate
electric current of a certain electro motive power be caused to pass through the
water the latter will be found to be free from living organisms and to have lost none
of the qualities which fit it for human consumption.
If the alternate current be caused to pass through wine the same effect is produced,
the ferments being killed. The molecular disturbance resulting from the passage of
the alternate current produces a certain quantity of heat which is imperceptible at the
commencement but increases gradually as the operation proceeds. This molecular
movement takes away the flavour peculiar to new wine and imparts to the wine a
matureness or ripeness of flavour equal to that possessed by wine which has been laid
down in a cellar for many years. The wine being thus ripened and protected from
fermentation by the destruction of the ferments is capable of travelling with impunity
in any latitude.
The same effect is obtained with beer. Beer acted on by an alternate current in
an apparatus such as the apparatus hereinafter described is capable of travelling to any
distance and withstanding climatic influences without the addition of any preservative
agent such as alcohol salicylic acid and the like.

page_text: The apparatus which I employ in carrying out this Invention is illustrated in
vertical section in the accompanying drawing and is provided with a receptacle or
receptacles of sufficient size to contain the whole of the liquid to be treated in one
operation. This receptacle is preferably constructed in the form of a column A B
provided at its upper part with a flanged union and at its lower part with a similar
union Two insulated metal rods tt pass through the cover of the column and are
supported at their lower extremities by two insulating sockets d d¹. Each of these
rods supports a series of plates or discs preferably of tinned red copper being some-
what less in diameter than the interior of the column A B. These plates marked 1.
2. 3. etc. in the drawing are perforated with holes so arranged that the holes in each
plate are opposite solid parts of the plates immediately above and below. The plates
are connected electrically with the rod t and with the rod t alternately. In the
example illustrated all the plates marked with odd numbers are in contact with the
rod t and are insulated from the rod t the plates marked with even numbers being in
contact with the rod t and insulated from the rod t. The plates and rods are all
insulated from the column A B. The superficial area of the plates the distance
between them, the size of the perforations and the number of plates employed are
regulated according to the quantity of liquid to be treated in a given time.
The liquid enters the column through a pipe M N and after passing upwards
through the column is discharged through a pipe M N¹. Any suitable number of
such columns may be connected together according to the time to be ascertained
beforehand necessary for the proper action of the current. The strength of the
current is likewise regulated according to the nature and quantity of liquid to be
treated. All the columns are coupled together electrically in quantity. In all the
columns the current enters by one rod and passes out by the other.
It is consequently simply necessary to cause the liquid to flow from one receptacle
to another to enable the whole of the liquid to be treated in a given time to be acted
on by the current under the requisite conditions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is.
1st. Treating and purifying or destroying gorms and organisms in water, beer,
wine and other liquids by means of an alternate electric current substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2nd. For destroying germs and organisms in water, wine, beer and other liquids
by means of an alternate electric current an apparatus or combination of apparatus
arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th love of "
1000