Improvements in Electrodes for Secondary Batteries or Accumulators.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 8th Mar.,
1899
Improvements in Electrodes for Secondary Batteries or Accumulators.
I, HENRI PIEPER FILS, of Rue de Bajards, Liege, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to electrodes for secondary batteries or accumulators, and
has for its object to render the action or working of the said electrodes as uniform
as possible, through the agency of the electrodes themselves. To obtain this
result the invention consists essentially in so constructing the electrode that it has
imparted to it the faculties of uniformly distributing the liquid through its body,
of continuously renewing the liquid at all points, and of maintaining a uniform
density throughout the liquid. This I effect by causing the gases evolved to
escape through the body of the electrode in such an inclined direction as will cause
the gas bubbles to exert a pushing out and sucking in action upon the liquid
so that a continuous circulation is maintained in all parts where liquid is present,
whereby the differences of density occurring in the liquid are efficaciously equalized
and the liquid readily renewed at all points of contact with the electrode.
Such an organisation of electrode is obtainable according to my invention by
building it up with corrugated plates in alternation with non-corrugated or plain
plates in such a manner that numerous channels are formed which extend
through the entire thickness of the electrode with such inclinations as to ascend
from the side opposite the other electrode or the inner side to the outer side
or vice versa, the walls of the said channels constituting the active or working
surface of the electrode. Thus a structure is created which is penetrated by
the liquid as uniformly as possible in all its parts. As the inclination of the
channels causes the gas bubbles evolved on their walls to pass upward, the said
bubbles not only drive the liquid from the channels into the space at the exit-
side but also exert a sucking action upon the liquid filling the space at the other
side; this double action results in producing and continuously maintaining a quick
circulation through the enare bulk of the liquid, whereby a continuous and rapid
equilisation of the density of differences of the liquid and an efficacious renewal of
the liquid in all parts of the electrode is brought about. The electrode may be
said to pump the liquid through it.
The plates are made in the shape of truncated cones or pyramids open at the
top and bottom the corrugated ones being preferably provided with radial
corrugations. The use of such plates require that one electrode must be encompassed
or encircled by the co-operating one.
The invention may be used with the positive electrode alone or with both the
positive and the negative electrodes. I prefer to build up both the electrodes in the
manner described.
1000

page_text: -
I, HENRI PIEPER FILS, of Rue de Bajards, Liege, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Electrician, 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:-
This invention relates to electrodes for secondary batteries or accumulators, and
has for its object to render the action or working of the said electrodes as uniform
as possible, through the agency of the electrodes themselves. To obtain this
result the invention consists essentially in so constructing the electrode that it has
imparted to it the faculties of uniformly distributing the liquid through its body,
of continuously renewing the liquid at all points, and of maintaining a uniform
density throughout the liquid. This I effect by causing the gases evolved to
escape through the body of the electrode in such an inclined direction as will cause
the gas bubbles to exert a pushing out and sucking in action upon the liquid,
so that a continuous circulation is maintained in all parts where liquid is present,
whereby the differences of density occurring in the liquid are efficaciously equalized
and the liquid readily renewed at all points of contact with the electrode.
Such an organisation of electrode is obtainable according to my invention by
building it up in the form of a hollow cylinder with plates made in the shape
of truncated cones open at the top and bottom, and of which the alternating ones
are provided with radial corrugations whilst the other ones are plain. In this
manner numerous radial channels are formed which extend through the entire
thickness of the electrode with such inclinations as to ascend from the side opposite
the other electrode or the inner side to the outer side or vice versa, the walls of the
said channels constituting the active or working surface of the electrode. Thus a
structure is created which is penetrated by the liquid as uniformly as possible in
all its parts, and as the inclination of the channels causes the gas bubbles evolved
on their walls to pass upward, the said bubbles not only drive liquid from the
channels into the space at the exit side but also exert a sucking action upon the
liquid filling the space at the other side; this double action results in producing
and continuously maintaining a quick circulation through the entire bulk of the
liquid, whereby a continuous and rapid equalisation of the differences of density of
the liquid and an efficacious renewal of the liquid in all parts of the electrode is
brought about. The electrode may be said to pump the liquid through it.
As the plates are made in the shape of truncated cones open at the top and
bottom, they form when built up, hollow cylinders. The use of such plates
therefore requires that one electrode must be encompassed or encircled by the
co-operating one.
The invention may be used with the positive electrode alone or with both the
positive and the negative electrodes. I prefer to build up both the electrodes in
the manner described.
In the annexed drawing I have represented a specimen of an accumulator of
which both electrodes are built up in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 1 is a vertical central section through the accumulator, the positive
electrode being encompassed by the negative one, Fig. 2 is the plan of this
accumulator.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the positive electrode, and Fig. 4 the plan of same.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the negative electrode, and Fig. the plan of same.
According to the direction of the channels required for the purpose of the
present invention the positive electrode E (Figs. 1 and 2) is built up with plates
formed as hollow truncated cones the bases of which are directed downwards, that

page_text: is the plates are piled up by placing one upon the other, so that the channels
formed extend from the space between the two co-operating electrodes upward to
the inner space of the electrode. a are the corrugated plates, the corrugations a*
of which are arranged radially; bare the plain or non-corrugated plates, and c the
channels. e is the space between the two electrodes or intermediary space, and e¹
the inner space.
The negative electrode E', encircling the positive one, is built up with hollow
truncated cones directed with their base upward, that is to say the negative electrode is
built up by placing the plates one into the other, so that the channels extend from
the intermediary space e upward to the outer side of the electrode, surrounded by
the outer space e³.
a are the corrugated plates with the corrugations a* arranged radially, b' the
plain plates and c¹ the channels.
The
The circulation of the liquid which takes place is indicated by dotted arrows.
As shown the circulation produced by the positive electrode is from the inter-
mediary space e through the channels c into the inner space el, ascending in the
latter, and back to the intermediary space over the top of the electrode.
circulation created by the negative electrode is from the intermediary space e
through the channels c¹ into the outer space e³, ascending in the latter and back to
the intermediary space over the top of the electrode.
with
In the drawing the positive electrode E is the encompassed one, but the arrange-
ment may be made the reverse, the positive electrode being arranged to encircle
the negative one. In this case the positive electrode must be built up
plates such as a and b, and the negative electrode with plates such as a and b.
Obviously the negative electrode may be plain or constructed in a different way.
The plates may be prepared according to Planté's method or covered or coated
or otherwise provided with a layer of active material.
When built up the plates are put in metallic communication with each other
preferably by soldering thereon lead strips. In the drawing d indicates the lead
strips connecting the positive plates, and d₁ the lead strips connecting the
negative plates, h is the terminal of the positive electrode, and h' the terminal of
the negative electrode.
To ensure the proper distance between the electrodes glass tubes or rods f may
be vertically inserted into the intermediary space el, the edges of the plates being
provided with grooves gg¹ facing each other for the reception of said tubes.
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
I claim is: -
1. For use in secondary batteries or accumulators a hollow cylindrical electrode
built up with plates shaped in the form of hollow truncated cones which are open
at the top and bottom, in such a manner that radially corrugated truncated cones
alternate with plain ones, so that the structure is radially transversed by inclined
channels on both sides of said plain plates, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
2. A secondary battery or accumulator with hollow cylindrical electrodes placed
one in the hollow of the other and built up as claimed under head 1 in such a
manner that the radial channels of the one électrode are inclined in one direction,
and the radial channels of the other electrode in the opposite direction, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.