Improvements relating to the Generation of Electricity and the Simultaneous Production of Zinc Chloride and other Bye- products.
Year: 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Generation of Electricity and the
Simultaneous Production of Zinc Chloride and other Bye-
products.
I, LEONARD PAGET of No. 7 Wall-street City and State of New York United States
of America Electrician and Chemist 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 :—
My invention relates to the art of generating electricity by voltaic means and its
object is to cheapen the production thereof. I accomplish this object by the processes
hereinafter described of creating valuable bye products, which bye products may be
placed upon the market and sold as merchantable articles.
Prior to my invention it was old to attempt the reduction of the cost of generating
electricity in a voltaic battery by causing such battery to produce a merchantable
article known as zinc oxide. I assume that attempts in this direction have been more
or less successful, but I will point out that I have found, as I believe, that the
cost of consumption of zinc in comparison with the cost of the oxidising or other
hydrogen destroying chemical agent consumed in destroying the hydrogen formed on
the negative plate of the voltaic combination is small. Seeking to reduce the cost
of the hydrogen combining agent, I have discovered that it is possible to do so by
obtaining a valuable product during the production of such agent, as well as to
much increase the electrical power developed by the voltaic combination by employing
such agent nascent or as freshly produced. Further I have found that it is possible
to effect still greater reduction of the cost by so arranging that in the production
of the agent aforesaid a chemical compound (a + c) should be acted upon by
another () to produce the said agent (c) and a compound (a + b) when if (a + b)
is more valuable commercially than (a + c) then the agent (c) is produced at a profit
which can be charged against the debit of other losses in the production of electricity.
If also the metallic salt or oxide produced by the consumption of the electro
the resulting
positive electrode is commercially available, either at a profit or at par,
In a certain sense this
production of electricity is effected at a minimum cost.
might be considered as an extension of the principle of the Daniell cell in which the
copper reduced by the hydrogen evolved at the negative plate may be considered a
valuable product. But this is not at all the essence of my invention; nor does the
practical result available with such a cell admit of comparison with my invention,
partly for the reason that the production of the valuable material copper is carried on
in the cell in such a way as to need the ultimate removal of the negative electrode and

page_text: partly because the deposit of copper upon the zinc and other reactions well known to
electro chemists present almost insurmountable practical difficulties which my invention
wholly avoids.
To carry my invention into effect, I employ several variations of procedure
embodying the principle, but that which I deem the best I will now describe.
The drawing illustrates such apparatus as may be found in any well equipped
chemical laboratory, the same being adapted to carry out the processes hereinafter
described. This apparatus, however, constitutes no part of the present invention, it
being limited to such processes per se. The apparatus consists of a gas generator B,
and a voltaic cell C hermetically closed except where it is connected to the gas
generator by a pipe G. The gas generator B, is connected by a pipe E with a
chamber or vessel A containing sulphuric acid. D is a vessel also connected with the
gas generator chamber B, and adapted to contain bleaching powder. H, H²,
H² are
cocks for connecting the several vessels. F is an outlet adapted for the removal of
such matter as remains in the bottom of the chamber B, after the gas has been
generated. The battery cell C has the usual positive and negative plates. The
lower end M of the gas conveying pipe G extends up between these positive and
negative plates of the battery into the electrolyte W. The operation is as follows:-
The cock H having been turned so as to admit a sufficient quantity of bleaching
powder into the chamber B; the cock H₁ is then turned so as to permit sulphuric
acid to flow drop by drop upon said bleaching powder, and chlorine gas is thereby
evolved in a well known manner in the chamber B according to the following
Lanmula
The resulting sulphate of lime being precipitated as a fine powder can be treated
for the separation of any iron it may contain and sold as precipitated sulphate, or
it may be burned at a low temperature to produce the finest Parian plaster, and is
in either case a product more valuable than the material employed.
The chlorine gas evolved is conducted to the voltaic cell by a pipe G where it
is led into the water W containing carbonate of lime in suspension; this water being
the electrolytic fluid. The electrodes of the voltaic cell are an electro positive zinc
or iron plate or mass and an electro negative plate or mass of lead coated or contain-
ing lead peroxide or a lead salt. By the action of the hypochlorous acid (produced
by the chlorine under the influence of the carbonate of lime suspended in the water)
the lead salt or plate is peroxidised, or the peroxide when reduced by the hydrogen
evolved is immediately again raised to the higher degree of oxididation. Zinc is
dissolved and is found as zinc chloride. Iron is dissolved and is found as ferric
chloride. Both the zinc and iron salts are easily saleable as valuable bye products.
This combination gives, with zinc a very high electro motive force, about 2-3 volts,
and is very constant.
By immersing the zinc in a solution of caustic soda contained in a porous cell
immersed in the water as described, there is formed in the porous cell a zincate of soda
(from which pure oxide of zinc can be precipitated by the addition of water) and in
the surrounding liquid sodium hypochlorite. The electro motive force of this com-
bination is about 2-7 volts. One cell will charge a storage battery or accumulator.
The method I adopt in practice for obtaining when required finely divided carbonate
of lime in suspension in the water is, to inject a current of carbonic acid gas into the
water containing a salt of lime or milk of lime. The internal resistance of this
combination is at first high but rapidly decreases. By causing a circulation of water
in proportion to the formation of zinc chloride so as to maintain a uniform solution,
this voltaic combination will give an electric current for a time limited only by the
supply of chlorine gas and the mass of electro positive electrode.
Bromine water may be substituted for the bleaching powder in which case
sulphuretted hydrogen being substituted for the sulphuric acid, hydrobromic acid gas
is set free in the generator with a deposit of fine sulphur. In this case water slightly

page_text: acidulated with sulphuric acid is substituted for the lime water in the voltaic cell, and
here the lead being not peroxidised by the hydrobromic acid, carbon or platinum
plates must be substituted.
The resulting bromide of zinc or iron is a valuable product. The electromotive
force of this combination is not so high (about 1.25 volts) as with the former, and
the electro positive metal is attacked on open circuit.
It is preferable to arrange the voltaic cell without an exit tube for gas, so that the
pressure developed whilst the cell is on open circuit may be caused to operate in the
generator to prevent the generation of gas, in the way well known in chemical
operations.
When the cell is on closed circuit the gases are absorbed, and, as absorbed, they
made be made to be generated by so arranging that the release of back pressure
allows of the inflow of active material, as is well known in chemical laboratories.
The cell in this manner becomes automatic.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The within described process of producing valuable bye products in a voltaic
combination in which electro motive force is set up which consists first, in generating
a gas as chlorine and at the same time producing a bye product as sulphate of lime
by the union of bleaching powder and sulphuric acid, and then injecting the gas thus
generated into an electrolyte composed of water holding calcium carbonate in
suspension, said electrolytic compound being in contact with the electrodes of said
voltaic combination and finally through the action of said gas upon this electrolytic
compound and the disintegrated salt of the active electrode producing a second bye
product, as zinc chloride substantially as described.
Second. The within described process of producing a valuable bye product in a
voltaic combination in which electrical potential exists during the progress of said
process, which consists, first, in generating a gas as chlorine and then producing
sulphate of lime, then causing the chlorine gas thus produced to unite with the metallic
salt of the active electrode and carbonate of lime suspended in the water of the
electrolyte of the combination, whereby such valuable bye product as zinc chloride is
produced, substantially as described.
Third. The within described process of producing a valuable bye product in a voltaic
combination which consists in causing a gas as chlorine to unite with the disintegrated
salt of the active electrode of the voltaic combination, thereby producing a bye product
as zinc chloride, substantially as described.
Fourth. The within described process of producing a valuable bye product, as zinc
chloride in a voltaic combination in which electrical potential exists which consists in
causing a gas as chlorine to unite with the disintegrated salt of the active electrodo
surrounded by an electrolyte of water holding carbonate of lime in suspension,
substantially as described.
Fifth. The within described method of reducing the cost of generating electricity
in a voltaic apparatus or primary battery which consists in causing a gas to act
chemically upon the electrolyte which surrounds the electrodes of the battery or
apparatus and the disintegrated salt of the metal which composes the active electrode,
while the exterior or working circuit is closed, substantially as described.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.