Improvements in and relating to Primary Batteries.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 29th Mar., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Primary Batteries.
WALTER ROWBOTHAM, 27, Vittoria Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
-
To carry my improvements into effect I divide the cell into two compartments.
One compartment, which I term the reservoir & which is sealed, contains the
exciting & depolarising fluid, & the other, which I term the active compart-
ment, contains the electrodes. I preferably use carbon rods or tubes enclosed
in porous tubes or plates which I arrange horizontally with openings into the
reservoir. The metal plates are placed in between the aforesaid porous tubes
or plates. When using a number of these cells I arrange them in steps alongside
each other, with their reservoirs communicating & also their active compartments
in such a way as to make a break between the solution in each. For my exciting
& depolarising liquid I preferably use a solution of water, sulphuric acid &
nitric acid which is placed in the reservoir, & in the active compartment I
As the current is taken from the cell the pressure of gas generated
in the reservoir forces the exciting fluid through the pores of the porous tubes
into the water in the active compartment, thus mixing the exciting fluid &
water automatically as required. I sometimes add a small percentage of a
nitrate to the exciting & depolarising fluid & less nitric acid.
use water.
Dated this 28th day of January 1897
Improvements in and relating to Primary Batteries.
1, WALTER ROWBOTHAM, late of 27, Vittoria Street, Birmingham, and now residing
at 24, Harleyford Road, Vauxhall, in the County of Surrey, 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:
--
•
My invention relates to primary batteries and my object is to produce an easily
manipulated primary battery, capable of giving a large and constant output at
a low cost per unit.
My invention consists in a new construction and arrangement of battery
whereby the generation of gas in the depolariser cell forces acid through porous
tubes to form the exciting fluid by mixing with water. The acid is thus auto-
matically mixed with water to form the exciting fluid as required by the amount
of work which the battery is called upon to perform.

page_text: Part of my invention also relates to an arrangement of battery cells in steps,
with water and acid flowing from one cell to the other in series through air gaps.
To carry my improvements into effect I divide the cell into two compartments.
One compartment, which I term the reservoir, and which is sealed, contains the
exciting and depolarising fluid, and the other, which I term the active compart-
ment contains the electrodes. I preferably use carbon rods or tubes enclosed in
porous tubes or plates, which I arrange horizontally with openings into the
reservoir. The metal plates are placed in between the aforesaid porous tubes and
plates.
When using a number of these cells I arrange them in steps alongside each
other, with their reservoirs communicating, and also their active compartments
in such a way as to make a break between the solution in each. For my exciting
and depolarising liquid I preferably use a solution of water, sulphuric acid, and
nitric acid, which is placed in the reservoir, and in the active compartment I use
water. As the current is taken from the cell the pressure of gas generated in
the reservoir forces the exciting fluid through the pores of the porous tubes into
the water in the active compartment, thus mixing the exciting fluid and water
automatically as required. I sometimes add a small percentage of a nitrate to
the exciting depolarising fluid, and less nitric acid.
Referring to the three accompanying sheets of drawings, which illustrate one
method of carrying my invention into effect,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the step-by-step arrangement of the
batteries.
Figure 2 is a plan corresponding to Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a diagramatic section showing the feed and other arrangements in
connection with the depolarising fluid.
Figure 4 is a transverse section through the active plates of the battery
showing the arrangement of the carbons within their porous tubes.
Figure 5 is a section at right angles to the preceding figure on the line a b,
Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a section on the line e d, Figure 5, or c d, Figure 7.
Figure 7 is a sectional plan on the line e f, Figure 6.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the outside of the partition with the cover removed,
showing the metallic connections which couple the ends of all the carbon rods
to the terminals.
Each cell of the battery is divided into two compartments. One compartment
which is sealed so as to be gas-tight under some pressure contains the exciting
and depolarising fluid, and the other the active compartment, contains the
electrodes. The active compartment is fed with pure water, while the sealed
compartment is supplied with an exciting and depolarising fluid as mentioned.
When current is taken from the cell nitrous gases or fumes are generated
from the nitric acid in the depolarising fluid, and these fumes cause some pressure
within the closed compartment. After increase of current increased volumes of
nitrous fumes are generated, which increase the pressure and so the amount of
acid sent through the porous tubes increases with the increased demand upon the
battery. The nitrous fumes are collected by a pipe, and passed into the upper
part of an acid reservoir, which reservoir is in communication with the sealed
compartments.
In Figure 1 I have shown a series of three cells, one mounted above the other,
and each cell leading to the next lower one by a pipe. In Figure 1, A, A, A,
are the active compariments, each having a division and a second compartment A¹.
The water passes by pipes A² from vessel to vessel, finally discharging at a similar
pipe A2 after having completed the course of all the cells. In passing from cell
to cell the water drops through an air space in each case, and so no electric
communication is made by the water from one cell to another, and in each case
the water has to pass down to the bottom of the partition so that it enters at the

page_text: bottom of the active division A, and thus tends to displace the whole of the
contents by a discharge pipe A into the next cell, or away altogether.
In Figure 3 I have shown diagrammatically the course of the exciting and
depolarising fluid through the compartments E. The action is as follows,-
The exciting and depolarising fluid is contained in the large reservoir F. It
flows through the pipe H by way of the regulating tap H. It passes down to
the bottom of the chamber E' round the partition into E, as shown by the arrows.
Then it displaces the acid already in the space, and causes it to drop by way of
the pipes into the succeeding spaces E. The acid after performing its work
is finally discharged at I which is preferably a syphon arrangement, providing
for keeping the whole of the contents of the compartments E under any desired
pressure. A pipe G leads from the upper part of one of the compartments E,
and the nitrous fumes generated in the depolarising fluid by the action of the
battery ascend the pipe G, and enter the upper part of the reservoir F. The
fumes there generate pressure in order to equilibrate the pressure on the acid
throughout the upper parts of the vessel.
In the drawings, Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, I have clearly shown the arrange-
ment of the porous tubes, the carbon rods, and the metal plates. I have also
shown clearly the water and acid admission pipes, and the two compartments with
partitions. The active compartments containing the metal plates, preferably
iron, and water, is marked on these drawings, A, and opening into it is a small
compartment A fed with water by the tube A². The battery plates are marked B,
and the carbon rods C, while the porous tubes are marked D).
The porous
tubes are firmly cemented into two partitions, shown clearly in Figure 5, and
thereby no acid finds its way from the closed compartment E to the active
compartment A except through the pores of the porous tubes. The carbon rods C
pass through one of the partitions, and metallic connection is made between all
of them by the metal plates or strips C which are all connected together as shown
in Figure S, and carried to the terminal C¹. The plates C are embedded in
cement and closed up by an outer cover. This outer cover is clearly seen in
Figure 5. Gas holes between the chambers E and E' are shown at K.
By these arrangements whenever the battery is put in action more and more
acid finds its way into the active part containing water because of the increase
of pressure due to the production of nitrous fumes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
1 claim is:
1. A primary battery having two compartments, one a closed compartment,
made pressure tight, which is open to the interior of porous tubes containing
carbon rods; the compartment being so arranged that the pressure produced
within it by the generation of gas due to the action of the battery forces acid
through the walls of the porous tubes into the water contained in the second
compartment containing the anodes, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
2. In a primary battery of the kind claimed in the first claim the arrangement
of the cells in steps with water or acid flowing from one cell to the other in
series through air gaps, substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of November 1807
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham,.
Agents