AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING AND MAINTAINING A SEPARATION BETWEEN TWO DISSIMILAR LIQUIDS, OR BETWEEN A LIQUID AND ANY SUBSTANCE HELD IN SOLUTION OR SUSPENSION THEREIN, PARTS OF WHICH INVENTION ARE APPLICABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF GALVANIC BATTERIES, AND TO THE REFINING OF SPIRITUOUS AND VINOUS LIQUORS
Year: 1873

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING
AND MAINTAINING A SEPARATION BETWEEN TWO DISSIMILAR LIQUIDS, OR
BETWEEN A LIQUID AND ANY SUBSTANCE HELD IN SOLUTION OR SUSPENSION
THEREIN, PARTS OF WHICH INVENTION ARE APPLICABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION
OF GALVANIC BATTERIES, AND TO THE REFINING OF SPIRITUOUS AND VINOUS
LIQUORS," A communication from abroad by Frank Leonard Pope,
of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Electrical Engineer, and William Henry
Sawyer, of the City and State of New York, Telegrapher, both in
the United States of America.
5
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 7th May 1873, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the " International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING AND MAINTAINING A SEPARATION BETWEEN

page_text: TWO DISSIMILAR LIQUIDS, OR BETWEEN A LIQUID AND ANY SUBSTANCE HELD IN
SOLUTION OR SUSPENSION THEREIN, PARTS OF WHICH INVENTION ARE APPLICABLE
TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF GALVANIC BATTERIES AND TO THE REFINING OF SPIRITUOUS
AND VINOUS LIQUORS," and have petitioned Her Majesty, to grant unto
me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has
been communicated to me from abroad by Frank Leonard Pope, of
Elizabeth, New Jersey, Electrical Engineer, and William Henry Sawyer,
of the City and State of New York, Telegrapher, both in the United
States of America...
•
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming a part of this

page_text: Figure 2 is a perspective view of a. single cell of a galvanic battery,
showing the application of this Invention thereto.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section of a battery cell, shewing
the manner in which a feeding tube or reservoir may be applied
thereto.
A continuous wire or other suitable metallic conductor C, Figure 1,
is coiled into a series of spirals c, c', c³, and placed within a suitable
vessel A, which contains the liquid to be operated upon. Any required
number of these spirals may be employed, but care must be taken that
the electric current circulates through all of them in the same direction
as indicated by the arrows, Figure 1. The upright portion of the
conductor at c', is preferably insulated by coating it with some non-
conducting material, or surrounding it with a glass or other non-
conducting tube.
When a current of electricity, generated by any suitable means, is
caused to traverse the wire C continuously the liquid in which the
spirals c, c¹, c³, are immersed becomes polarized, and if it is a compound
liquid its constituents are separated. If for example a mixed solution
of sulphate of zinc and sulphate of copper be subjected in this manner
to the action of an electric current passing through the wire O the
sulphate of copper will in a short time be separated from the sulphate
of zinc, and the former will assume and occupy a position at the bottom,
and the latter will remain at the top of the vessel A, and either solution
can then be removed by a syphon or other suitable means without
disturbing the other. If a liquid containing any solid substance in
solution is placed in the vessel A. and subjected to the action of the
electric current in the manner herein-before described, the solid will
be separated from the liquid which holds it in solution or suspension
and will be precipitated to the bottom of the vessel. If a vinous or
spirituous liquor be operated upon in the same way the chemical action
thereupon arising from polarization will age and refine such liquor.
The application of this Invention in the construction of galvanic
batteries is shewn in Figures 2 and 3. The separation of the two
liquids in a galvanic battery has heretofore been effected either by the
use of a porous diaphragm of unglazed earthenware, leather, or some
similar material, or by so arranging the elements of the battery and
their respective solutions that the action of gravity would accomplish

page_text: the desired result, that is to say, the copper solution having the
greater specific gravity would remain at the bottom of the cell, while
the comparatively lighter zinc solution would rise above it. It has
been found in practice that neither of these devices effectually prevents
the deposit of some portion of the negative metal upon the positive
element, an effect which involves a considerable waste of material. This
deposit also materially diminishes the permanency of the action in the
battery.
By the use of this Invention a more perfect separation may be
maintained between the two solutions in a battery than has hitherto
been possible. In order to accomplish such a separation the negative
or copper element of the battery is constructed preferably in the form
of. a metallic wire or other conductor, coiled into a spiral or helix, as
at d¹ and d³, Figure 2. The upright portion of the wire at d is coated
or covered with some non-conducting substance in the usual manner
and forms a connection with the next cell of the series, commencing
at the bottom of the containing jar or cell B, this wire is coiled into
a concentric spiral d' and is connected by the upright standard ď³ to
a second concentric spiral d³. Care must be taken that the wire in
both spirals shall pass around the interior of the vessel in the same
direction.
The space E between the upper and lower concentric spirals d² and d³
must contain crystals of any suitable metallic salt for the purpose of
keeping the solution saturated; Z is tho zinc or positive element
which is suspended in the upper portion of the cell in the ordinary
manner.
In the sectional view (Figure 3) a modification is shewn which
permits the addition of a feeding tube or reservoir R; by means of this
trough crystals of metallic salt may be introduced into the space under
the spiral & without interfering with the action of the battery. When
the circuit of the battery is closed an electric current circulates
hrough the whole length of the conductor included between d and d³,
and exerts such an influence upon the particles of metallic salt
suspended in the solution, acting in conjunction with gravity, as to
effectually prevent them from rising above the level of the spiral d³.
When, for example, the respective solutions are sulphate of copper and
sulphate of zinc the copper solution can never rise above the level of

page_text: the spiral d³ as long as the electric current is circulating through the
conductor of which the said spiral forms a part.
'It is not essential that the spirals or helices should be constructed
and arranged in the precise manner shewn in the Drawing and
herein-before described, but the influence of an electric current must
be utilized to effect a separation between two dissimilar liquids or
between a liquid and a solid substance held in solution or suspension
in the liquid, or a gas or volatile substance held in suspension in
a liquid. When two or more cells of a battery, constructed in the
manner herein-before described, are connected together in series it is
desirable that the direction in which the electric conductors are coiled
should be the same in each cell of the series.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,—
First. The process herein described of separating two dissimilar
liquids, or freeing a liquid from any solid or gaseous substance held in
solution or suspension therein, by means of a suitable conductor wholly
or partially immersed in the liquid and traversed by a current of
electricity.
Second. The combination with a galvanic battery or other suitable
generator of electricity of a vessel for containing liquid, and a conductor
capable of being traversed throughout by a current of electricity
proceeding from such battery or generator for the purpose of effecting
a separation of the component parts of liquids.
Third. The combination with a vessel for containing liquid of a
conductor composed in part of a metallic coil (or coils) placed within
such vessel, and constructed and arranged to be included in an electric
circuit, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.
Fourth. A galvanic battery, consisting of the combination of a
containing vessel B, a positive or zinc element Z, and a negative element
composed of the concentric or spiral coils d³ and d³ and the insulated
conductor d, and having a mode of operation substantially as herein
specified.
Fifth. The combination of a feeding tube or reservoir R with a
galvanic battery, consisting of the vessel B, positive element Z, negative

page_text: element composed of concentric coil &³, and spiral coil d', and the
insulated conductor d, whereby the negative salt can be fed to the
space below the coil without interfering with the operation of the
battery.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
Wч. ROBT. LAKE.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.B.)