Improvements in or relating to Electric Regenerative Batteries or Accumulators, and in Porous Cells therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Regenerative Batteries or
Accumulators, and in Porous Cells therefor.
I, REGINALD HADDAN of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co. of 18
Buckingham Street Strand W.C. London, Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of this invention a communication to me from abroad by Henry Riguelle
of 7 Rue Verbist, St. Josse ten Noode, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Electrical
Engineer to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to electric regenerative batteries or accumulators and to
the manufacture of porous cells or diaphragms for use therein.
The improved battery consists of au outer vessel of a metal unattacked by the
liquid used, such as brass covered with lead, this vessel serving both as container
and as negative pole. Into this vessel is placed either a mixture of oxyde of tin
and oxyde of lead or an alloy of tin and lead of the formula Pb,Sn, both being
reduced to powder.
The inner porous cell is placed in this mixture and is preferably made as
hereinafter described, it contains a suitable positive pole preferably of carbon, or
metalized carbon, surrounded with peroxyde of lead in the form of a powder
lightly packed into the cell.
To form the porous cell asbestos cloth is taken, soaked in boiling water, to
render it soft and porous, then spread with a composition of kaolin or other
porcelaine producing compound, pressed between rollers or otherwise to well
impregnate the composition with the cloth, cut into suitably shaped pieces and
baked in a similar manner to porcelaine after having been folded on a suitably
shaped mould.
Deted thie 25th day of November 1893.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Regenerative Batteries or
Accumulators, and in Porous Cells therefor.
I REGINALD HADDAN of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co. of 18
Buckingham Street Strand, W.C. London, Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of this invention a communication to me from abroad by Henry Riguelle
of 7 Rue Verbist, St. Josse ten Noode, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Electrical
Engineer, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists in improvements in or relating to electric regenerative
batteries or accumulators and in porous cells for use therein.
Each element comprises a metallic vessel not corroded by the exciting liquid
such for instance as brass covered with lead. A mixture of sulphuric acid and
water or any other suitable solution may be chosen as an exciting liquid. Into
the exciting liquid calcine (a mixture of equal parts of oxide of tin and oxyde of
lead) is placed, and this mixture piled up on the bottom of the receiver. Instead
of calcine, the alloy of lead and tin represented by the formula Pb,Sn, may be
used which according to any of the known methods is reduced to a powder

page_text: The choice of this alloy, which produces a high voltage is dependent upon the
fact that it oxydizes during the operation of the battery to a far greater extent
than lead and tin alone would be able to do.
It is a known fact that with those alloys, where oxydation transforms an oxyde
into an acid, such transformation takes place with ease and rapidity.
Upon this principle is essentially based the manufacture of tin and lead glazing.
Thus neither antimony nor ordinary zinc becomes oxydized in water of
100 degrees C., whereas a mixture of 43 parts of zinc and 57 parts of antimony
will decompose water of 100 degrees C.
An oxydation similar to that of the alloy Pb,Sn takes place in the alloys of
chromium lead, antimony iron and antimony potassium.
Upon this phenomenon in the improved element is based the high electro-motive
force which reaches up to 2.25 volts whilst lead by itself only produces a tension
of 1.97 volts (useful effect).
The element or accumulator also comprises an interior cell which may be put in
over the middle of the calcine-powder or mixture of Pb Sn, and which is produced
in the following manner.
Asbestos fabric, which is free from any foreign substance is dipped into boiling
water in order to soften the fibre and to open its pores; the same is then soaked
in a mixture of powdered silicate of alumina with water or other porcelain
producing material and is passed between rollers in order. that the coating or
impregnated matter be uniformly distributed and united all over the fabric.
The fabric is then cut into suitable portions and the latter are brought into
proper shapes while they are still moist, the shapes correspond to the shape of
the above mentioned cell, namely circular, semi-circular, quadrangular etc. and are
arranged so that at the connecting seam the edges will overlap.
The vessels or cells so made are dried and finished by baking in an analogous
manner to porcelain; in this manner a porous cell is obtained which possesses all
the peculiarities of the ordinary diaphragm cells, but which is pliable and at the
same time tough and resistant, allowing only gases and liquids to pass through and
having no sewn seams.
The last mentioned fact represents especially a great advantage over the known
asbestos receptacles.
In this inner cell a current collector of carbon or metallized carbon or any other
suitable conducting material resisting the exciting liquid is inserted and is
surrounded with peroxide of lead which operates as a depolarizer like peroxide of
manganese.
When calcine is used the element must first be brought into an operative form
by means of a charge of electricity which produces the following effect, namely a
reduction of the calcine into metallic state, that is to say reconstitution of the
alloy Pb,Sn and completion of the oxydation of the commercial peroxyde of lead,
which often contains metallic lead, suboxyde and oxyde of lead.
At the discharge the alloy will become oxydized at the expense of the oxygen
contained in the exciting liquid said alloy taking one molecule of oxygen and
setting free two molecules of hydrogen.
The hydrogen passes to the positive pole there meeting a powerful oxydizing
medium, namely the peroxyde of lead; the hydrogen takes one molecule of oxygen
from said peroxyde of lead so as to re-establish water.
Where the alloy is used in form of powder, instead of the calcine, the element
does not need a preliminary charge, but for the remainder the process is the same
as that above mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
.
In a regenerative battery or accumulator.

page_text: an alloy of tin and lead of the formula Pb,Sn either in form of powder in a
metal receiver, the inner wall of which serves directly as accumulator for the
negative pole.
2. A positive pole formed by a conductor not liable to be attacked by the
exciting liquid, of any suitable form within a pliable separating cell made of
asbestos fabric and a porcelain earth or the like and having the interval left
between the current conductor and the separating cell filled up with peroxyde of
lead in form of powder slightly pressed down.
3. A pliable separating cell made of a fabric of pure asbestos by dipping same
into boiling water (of 100° C.) then coating its surface with kaoline, porcelain
earth or the like, passing same between rollers, cutting into suitably shaped pieces
and pressing or moulding into seamless hollow forms and baking same in furnaces
as in the manufacture of porcelain, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of August 1894.