IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 20, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES."-
A communication from abroad by Emile Joseph Delaurier, of No. 23,
Boulevart de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 29th October 1869, and dated the 11th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th May 1869.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
BATTERIES," to be as follows:-
GALVANIC
This Invention has for its object an improved construction of an
economic galvanic battery, combining with a minimum of volume a
maximum of intensity or of durability, and in which no evolution of
nitrous or other gases takes place. It is furthermore of a more regular

page_text: action than the best batteries, and is not subject to wear when the circuit
is broken, thus effecting a saving of zinc.
The most advantageous arrangement of the battery for this purpose is
a battery with two fluids, constructed similar to the Grove or Bunsen
batteries, with the following modifications:-
Firstly. The size of the porous cell is greatly increased in order to
impart greater intensity and durability to the exciting fluid contained
therein.
Secondly. Two pieces of charcoal are placed in the porous cell in
order to afford a greater surface for the positive pole to bring the
same nearer to the negative pole, and to increase their power of con-
duction, which is important with elements giving a great quantity of
electricity.
Thirdly. The zinc is brought as close as possible to the porous cell,
whereby the fluid becomes less heated, owing to the ready conduction
of the electricity.
Fourthly. The zinc elements do not require to be coated with
amalgam in order to insure a regular consumption thereof and to prevent
their being acted upon when the circuit is broken.
Fifthly. Instead of employing water acidulated with sulphuric acid
in the outer cell for the zinc, water saturated with sea salt is used.
Sixthly. The fluid employed in the porous cell, in place of the nitric
acid, is a composition formed of sulphuric acid, bichromate of potash,
protosulphate of iron, and sulphate of soda. Other salts may be employed
in place of the two last mentioned. This addition of salts has for its a
object to produce several perchromates, which shall together be more
soluble than the bichromate of potash alone, and which will produce
more oxygen for oxidizing the zinc. It will be seen that there is also
a considerable excess of sulphuric acid, the object of which is the better
to dissolve the bichromate of potash by liberating chromic acid, and also
to prevent the zinc from oxidizing, and from being covered with oxide
of iron and chromium. By this process of adding salts and an excess
of sulphuric acid there is a much greater quantity of active fluid in
the same volume, which fluid contains perchromates of potash, of
soda, and of iron, sulphuric acid, and chromic acid in a free state.
The composition of the exciting fluid which, is preferred is 30 parts
by weight of water, 54 parts of bichromate of potash, 45 parts of

page_text: sulphate of iron, 5 parts of sulphate of soda, and 25 parts of sulphuric
acid at 66° Beaumé.
On the same principle a solution may be formed for a single
fluid battery, constructed in a similar manner to those known by that
name, having bichromate of potash with zinc, which is raised by a
rack or otherwise. Such solution is formed of 40 parts by weight of
water, 43 parts of bichromate of potash, 36 parts of sulphate of iron,
4 parts of sulphate of soda, and 9 parts of sulphuric acid, at 66° Beaumé.
When a less intense quantity of electricity is required this may be
effected by simply varnishing a greater or less portion of the porous
cell.
The battery with two fluids is termed the "universal battery"
because it furnishes a regular quantity of electricity, at least equal to
the Grove and Bunsen batteries, but much more lasting and of greater
tension.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
year of
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Denton Abel, Her special licence
that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Denton Abel, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend. within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GALVANIC BATTERIES," a communication to me from abroad by Emile

page_text: Joseph Delaurier, of No. 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, in the
Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Denton Abel, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say:-
This Invention has for its object an improved construction of an
economic galvanic battery, combining with a minimum of volume a
maximum of intensity or of durability, and in which no evolution of
nitrous or other gases takes place. It is furthermore of a more regular
action than the best batteries, and is not subject to wear when the circuit
is broken, thus effecting a saving of zinc.
"
The most advantageous arrangement of the battery for this
purpose is a
battery with two fluids, constructed similar to the "Grove" or "Bunsen'
batteries, with the following modifications:-
Firstly. The size of the porous cell is greatly increased in order to s
impart greater intensity and durability to the exciting fluid contained
therein.
Secondly. Two pieces of charcoal are placed in the porous cell in
order to afford a greater surface for the positive pole to bring them
nearer to the negative pole, and to increase their power of conduction,
which is important with elements giving a great quantity of electricity.
Thirdly. The zinc is brought as close as possible to the porous cell,
whereby the fluid becomes less heated, owing to the ready conduction
of the electricity.
Fourthly. The zinc elements do not require to be coated with a
amalgam in order to insure a regular consumption thereof and to prevent
their being acted upon when the circuit is broken.

page_text: Fifthly. Instead of employing water acidulated with sulphuric acid
in the outer cell for the zinc, water saturated with sea salt is used.
Sixthly. The fluid employed in the porous cell in place of the nitric
acid is a composition formed of sulphuric acid, bichromate of potash,
proto-sulphate of iron, and sulphate of soda.
On the accompanying Drawing is shewn the form of battery employed
by preference in carrying this Invention into practice.
. Figure 1 shews a vertical section, and Figure 2 shews a plan of the
same.
the
The outer vessel a is of glazed earthenware, and is filled with water
saturated with sea salt. The porous interior vessel b is of large dimensions
in order to contain a large quantity of the exciting liquid. This vessel is
surrounded by the zinc cylinder c, split longitudinally, and brought as
close as possible to the porous vessel, but without touching it. It has a
copper connecting piece d serving as conductor to the negative pole. In
porous vessel b are placed the two pieces of charcoal f, f¹, connected
by a copper ring g, and provided with terminal screws h for the positive
pole. Other salts may be employed in place of the two last mentioned in
the porous cell. This addition of salts has for its object to produce several
perchromates, which shall together be more soluble than the bichromate
of potash alone, and which will produce more oxygen for oxidizing the
zinc. It will be seen that there is also a considerable excess of sulphuric
acid, the object of which is the better to dissolve the bichromate of potash
by liberating chromic acid, and also to prevent the zinc from oxidizing
and from being covered with oxide of iron and chromium. The sulphuric
acid also serves to produce a considerable quantity of electricity when all
the bichromate is decomposed, there is then only hydrogen liberated,
having no disagreeable odour. Bichromates have before been used in
the porous cell, but with indifferent results owing to the porous cell
having been too small and the parts not being near enough together, and
also on account of there having been too much bichromate of potash
and sulphuric acid in the solution. By this process of adding salts and
an excess of sulphuric acid there is a much greater quantity of active
fluid in the same volume, which fluid contains perchromates of potash,
of soda, and of iron, sulphuric acid, and chromic acid in a free state.
The composition of the exciting fluid which is preferred is 30 parts by
weight of water; 54 parts of bichromate of potash; 45 parts of sul-
phate of iron; 5 parts of sulphate of soda, and 25 parts of sulphuric acid

page_text: at 66° Beaumé. The solution is readily effected in the cold state by
observing the order indicated.
On the same principle a solution may be formed for a single fluid
battery constructed in a similar manner to those known by that name,
having bichromate of potash with zinc, which is raised by a rack or
otherwise. Such solution is formed of 40 parts by weight of water;
43 parts of bichromate of potash; 36 parts of sulphate of iron;
4 parts of sulphate of soda, and 9 parts of sulphuric acid at 66° Beaumé.
The solution is also readily effected in the cold state.
It is necessary to employ principally considerably less sulphuric acid
in order not to disengage too much hydrogen, even rather less than
indicated by theory for making alum with chromium and sulphate of
zinc. The last-described composition can only be advantageously used
with the single fluid battery.
If the liberation of gases is not objectionable, and it is desired to
produce greater force at a less cost and with equal volume from a
Bunsen's battery, the following is a very economical and powerful com-
position, which if placed in the large porous cell of the above-described
battery will produce most satisfactory results:-30 parts of nitric acid at
36°, and 70 parts of sulphuric acid at 53°. These proportions have been
calculated for the production of sulphate of zinc, and for the decom-
position and absorption of the three equivalents of oxygen.
The battery with two fluids is termed the "universal battery" because
it is only expended in proportion to the requirements, as with it any
external resistance produced by the breaking of the circuit or by the
inferior conductibility of the substances to be decomposed will not cause
an expenditure of electricity. If a less intense and more durable
quantity of electricity is required, a greater or less portion of the porous
cell may be varnished according as a less or greater quantity of elec-
tricity is required. By varnishing in vertical stripes the porous cell can
be turned periodically, so as to act in turn upon all portions of the zinc
cylinder. This "universal battery" affords a regular quantity of elec-
tricity at least equal to the Grove and Bunsen batteries, but of greater
duration and tension, as with one single element there has been produced
a deposit of copper fourteen times as great, and with an expenditure of
zinc one-half less than with those batteries during the same time. Also
by it one is enabled to reduce the quantity of electricity, and produce a

page_text: duration twice as great as the ordinary batteries of mean or long
duration, with a force equal to that of such batteries.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and in what
manner it is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondent, I claim the above-described improved construction of and
compositions for galvanic batteries characterized by the following
principal features:-
First. The entire suppression of all polarisation or deposit of sesqui-
oxide of chromium.
Second. The complete utilization of all the products, particularly those
most expensive.
Third. Non-necessity for the amalgamization of the zinc, and greater
regularity of action.
Fourth. The bringing the poles of the battery close together (i. e. the
zine and porous cell).
Fifth. Excess or sulphuric acid increasing the quantity of electricity
produced.
Sixth. Production of persulphate of iron, furnishing still more
electricity.
Seventh. Great surface of the positive cell.
Eighth. Increased solution of bichromate by means of acids and
divers salts.
Ninth. The use of a concentrated solution of sea salt, which has great
conductibility, and at the same time causes the production of soluble
salts.
Tenth. Less expenditure of zinc.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand'eight hundred and sixty-nine.