IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES
Year: 1884

page_text: I PAUL RAOUL DE FAUCHEUX D'HUMY of 2 Carlton Mansions, Clapham Rise
in the County of Surrey, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the
Baid Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements whereby I produce a non-polarizing
galvanic battery.
For this purpose I employ two elements or poles in direct combination with pure
water.
The metal element is wrought or cast iron or steel and should be formed with a.
very extended surface, it may contain, or be plunged in water.
I prefer the above metals for my battery but other metals may be employed.
In carrying my Invention into effect, I employ ribbons of iron or steel folded
upon themselves as many times as is necessary either vertically or horizontally
and spirally or any other form. The iron or steel I employ should be very ductile,
as pure as possible from carbon and sulphur and should be of long fibre. I use also
corrugated iron or steel in a single piece.
The carbon element should have also a very extended surface either plain,
tubular, grooved or of various hollow forms, it may contain or be plunged in the
depolarizing liquid. I also employ for the second element flexible carbons in the
form of ribbons or of round wicks arranged in the same way as that above described
for the metal element.
These flexible carbon ribbons or wicks may be rolled upon themselves in spiral
form or folded vertically or horizontally.
In this case the carbon element is plunged in the depolarising liquid contained
in a porous vase or in a hollow carbon or in any other vase.
One extremity of the metal element and one extremity of the carbon element
will form the two poles.
The depolarising liquid may be pure nitric acid, or sulphuric acid and nitric
acid, or sulphuric acid and nitrate of soda, or nitric acid mixed with water.
The carbon pole immersed in the porous vase or containing the depolarising
liquid is plunged in pure water contained by or in which the metal element is
immersed, the action of endosmose taking place a very light chemical reaction is
generated. The water decomposing produces weak oxide of iron. This oxide does

page_text: not become attached to the iron but only mixes with the mass of the water of
which each molecule is saturated with iron and becomes itself metal and augments
still further the metallic surface, the metal never requires cleaning.
The decomposition of the depolarising liquid being extremely slow, the water
being renewed in order to prevent all acidulation of this liquid, the metal never
being covered with oxide and its reduction being very slow no polarisation takes
place.
An energetic electric current is obtained, it is absolutely constant or without
appreciable variation of intensity or electro motive force.
I can employ other metals on condition that they be immersed in or contain pure
water and are provided with very extended surfaces as above described, the
depolarisation varies according to the metal used..
P. R. DE FAUCHEUX D'HUMY.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.

page_text: I PAUL RAOUL DE FAUCHEUX D'HUMY of 2, Carlton Mansions, Clapham Rise
in the County of Surrey, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The Invention relates to improvements whereby I produce a non-polarizing
galvanic battery.
For this purpose I employ two elements or poles in direct combination with pure
water.
The metal element is wrought or cast iron or steel and should be formed with a
very extended surface, it may contain or be plunged in water.
I prefer the above metals for my battery but other metals may be employed.
In carrying my Invention into effect I employ ribbons of iron or steel folded
upon themselves as many times as is necessary either vertically or horizontally and
spirally or any other form. The iron or steel I employ should be very ductile, as
pure as possible from carbon and sulphur and should be of long fibre. I use also
corrugated iron or steel in a single piece.
The carbon element should have also a very extended surface either plain,
tubular grooved or of various hollow forms it may contain or be plunged in the
depolarizing liquid.
I also employ for the second element flexible carbons in the form of ribbons or
of round wicks arranged in the same way as that above described for the metal
element.
These flexible carbon ribbons or wicks may be rolled upon themse,ves in spiral
form or folded vertically or horizontally.
In this case the carbon element is plunged in the depolarizing liquid contained
in a porous vase or in a hollow carbon or in any other vase.
One extremity of the metal element and one extremity of the carbon element
will form the two poles..
The depolarizing liquid may be pure nitric acid, or sulphuric acid and nitric
acid, or sulphuric acid and nitrate of soda, or nitric acid mixed with water.
The carbon pole immersed in the porous vase or containing the depolarizing
liquid is plunged in pure water contained by, or in which, the metal element is
immersed, the action of endosmose taking place a very light chemical reaction is
generated. The water decomposing produces weak oxide of iron. This oxide does
not become attached to the iron but only mixes with the mass of the water of
which each molecule is saturated with iron, and becomes itself metal and augments
still further the metallic surface, the metal never requires cleaning.
The decomposition of the depolarizing liquid being extremely slow, the water
being renewed in order to prevent all acidulation of this liquid, the metal never
being covered with oxide and its reduction being very slow no polarization takeś
place.
An energetic electric current is obtained, it is absolutely constant or without
appreciable variation of intensity or electro motive force.
"

page_text: I can employ other metals on condition that they be immersed in or contain
pure water and are provided with very extended surfaces as above described, the
depolarization varies according to the metal used.
And in order that my said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully
to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 to 7 show different views of various plans of forming the metal
element of my improved galvanic battery and Figures 8 and 9 are longitudinal
sections drawn on the lines 1. 1. and 2, 2 of Figure 1 showing a battery
constructed according to my invention Figure 10 is an end view and Figure 11 is
a plan of the same.
My invention relates to improvements whereby I produce a non-polarizing
galvanic battery.
For this purpose I employ two elements or poles in direct combination with
pure water and arranged and constructed in the manner hereinafter described and
represented in the accompanying drawings.
The metal element prefer to employ is wrought or cast iron or steel and it
should be formed with a very extended surface and it may be constructed to
contain water as shown at Figure 7 or it may be plunged into water as represented
in the other Figures of the drawings.
Although I prefer the above metals for my battery other metals may be employed
provided they are immersed in or contain pure water and are provided with very
extended surfaces as herein described.
The depolarization varies according to the metal used.
In carrying my invention into effect I form the metal element of a ribbon or
ribbons of iron or steel folded upon themselves as many times as is necessary to
produce the extent of surface desired and either in a vertical direction as shown at
Figures 1 to 4 or in a horizontal direction as shown at Figures 5 and 6 or spirally
or in any other form. In the form of element shown at Figures 1 to 4 a ribbon a
of metal is folded into the form shown at Figures 2 and 3 other ribbons a¹ of metal
are folded into the form shown at Figure 4, the latter are inserted alternately in
one direction and then in the other within the spaces a² in the folded ribbon
shown at Figure 2 and bands a³ of metal are passed around such combined
ribbons a a' at the upper and lower parts thereof as shown at Figures 1, 9 and 11
in order to connect all the parts of the metal element together, a yoke at at the
lower part also assists to bind the parts together.
The metal element shown at Figures 5 and 6 consists of a ribbon of metal
folded horizontally upon itself into the desired form whilst that shown at Figure 7
is cast into the desired form.
The ribbon of iron or steel employed should be very ductile, as free as possible
from carbon and sulphur and should be of long fibre.
The carbon element should have also a very extended surface either plain or
tubular as shown at Figures 8 and 11, or grooved or of various hollow forms and
it may be constructed to contain or to be plunged in the depolarizing liquid.
I also employ for the second element flexible carbons in the form of round
wicks or ribbons arranged in the same way as that above described for the metal
element.
These flexible carbon wicks or ribbons may also be rolled upon themselves in
spiral or other form or folded vertically or horizontally.
In this latter case the carbon element is plunged in the depolarizing liquid
contained in a porous vase or in a hollow carbon or in any other vase.
One extremity of the metal element and one extremity of the carbon element
will form the two poles.
The depolarizing liquid may be pure nitric acid or sulphuric acid and nitrate of
soda or nitric acid mixed with water.

page_text: The carbon pole immersed in the porous vase or constructed to contain the
depolarizing liquid is plunged in pure water contained by the metal element or in
which the metal element is immersed, the action of endosmose taking place a very
light chemical reaction is generated.
The water decomposing produces weak oxide of iron. This oxide does not
become attached to the iron but only mixes with the mass of the water of which
each molecule is saturated with iron and becomes itself metallic and augments still
further the metallic surface; the metal moreover never requires cleaning as the
surface thereof never becomes foul or clogged.
The decomposition of the depolarizing liquid being extremely slow, the water
being renewed in order to prevent all acidulation of this liquid, the metal never
being covered with oxide and its reduction being very slow no polarization takes
place.
An energetic electric current is obtained, it is absolutely constant or without
appreciable variation of intensity or electro-motive force,
At Figures 8 to 11 I have shown a galvanic battery which efficiently carries my
invention into effect.
In these figures a a represent the metal elements which are similar to that
shown at Figure 1 and are connected at one end to a cross strip of metal on which
a terminal is mounted.
They are contained in chambers 6 formed by the sides and ends of the outer
vessel c and by slabs or plates d of porous earthenware or carbon. The carbon
element consists of a collection of tubes e perforated with small holes at the upper
ends to allow the air therein to escape and permit the depolarizing liquid to run
up into the interior thereof.
The tubes e are connected together by a metal cap e' cast or otherwise fixed at
their upper ends and such element is contained in a chamber f formed by the
perous plates d and by the ends of the outer vessel c. Water is supplied to the
chambers b from the outer chamber g from which the water flows into the
chambers 6 through the tubes g' and the waste water is run off by the tap g. Any
overflow from the chambers 6 is run off therefrom by the channels 61 into the
trough 62 whence it is conducted away.
The depolarizing liquid is fed to the chamber f from the reservoir through the
tube and the chamber f is emptied when required by drawing off the contents
thereof by the tap f. The chamber f is hermetically sealed at the top hy the
cover for it may be closed by a loose cover which in some cases may carry the
carbons.
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
The employment of pure water without the addition of acid or salt in com-
bination with metal and carbon elements formed with very extended surfaces, and
a depolarizing liquid substantially as herein described.