Improvements in Secondary Batteries and Accumulators.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Oct., 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Secondary Batteries and Accumulators.
M PIERRE GERMAIN, Electrical Engineer, Auxerre, Département de l'Yonne,
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
Each electrode of this accumulator consists of three plates of lead or lead alloy
placed face to face, one against the other and solidly joined together. The two
outer plates are identical and symetrically disposed. They consist of an external
frame with internal divisions the shape of which being such as to prevent the active
substance filling the divisions from falling from the inside to the outside of the
plate. The distance of the two outer plates is fixed by a third plate consisting of a
combination of vertical and horizontal bars; the space between these bars being
the same as the space of the divisions of the two outer plates; they are generally
not filled with the activ substance but form a set of chambers for the liquid these
bars are so disposed that they divide the pastils of the outer plates in equal
parts and prevent said pastils from falling in the inside; they work further as
secondary conductors for the current and diminish the internal resistance of the
electrode.
In special cases and in view to obtain a larger capacity, we intend to fill up either
all or some of the divisions of the middle plate with light and very porous pastils,
said pastils being obtained by moulding in a cold state: oxyds of lead and a
compound called calcareous aluminouss alcalin cement hereafter described; the
mixture being at first liquid and getting solid after dessiccation.
For special purposes, instead of this third plate we can use a set of pieces made
of celluloid, ebonit or similar substances or a diaphragm of cocoa nut fibre,
powdered cork, etc.
The three plates are bored in the corners, the centre and if necessary in other
places, the plates of the same electrode or all the plates of one element are fixed
together with pins which pass through the managed holes and nuts and form a rigid
block; the positive and negative electrodes are alternately disposed at equal
distances, which is fixed by small washers; the pins, nuts and washers are made of
ebonit, celluloid or any other suitable substance. We can also solder the three
plates together with the ordinary soldering iron and an alloy of lead.
For small and light sizes, we can suppress the bars of the outer plates and use
the frame and the middle plate only as a support of the single pastil.
The chemical products which are used for the fabrication of the pastils are as
follows:
1) A calcareous aluminous alkalin cement-a special compound manufactured as
follows:-The white or light pink alunit (a compound of alumine, potasse, sulphuric
acid and a special silicious body) which is found in soft violet or red gneiss is care-
fully separated, pulverized and mixed up with pulverized chlorophane (a compound
of calcium, and fluor, able to be dissolved with sulphuric acid). Sulphuric acid is
added; the whole is heated up to red in a crucible and the powder thus obtained
forms a mortar which is easily mixed with metallic oxyds.
2) Oxyds of lead.
3) In some cases a plastering of fluosilicious or silicious substances which after
some chemical reductions, forms a thin, very hard and permeable silicious layer.
These various products are mixed up and compressed into the divisions of the
outer plates and the pastils very hard and adherent on the bars, and have a great
electrical capacity. The charging and discharging of the accumulators have no
action whatever on the strength and durability of the active substance.
The accumulators constructed as above described can be placed in a suitable box

page_text: F
of hard wood which is protected against the action of the liquid by a sack of cloth
rendered impervious by means of some hydrocarbure. This box can be either
hermetically closed with a cover, or let open, or we can cover the element with a
mattress saturated with oil or other suitable substance, so as to permit the
evaporation of the water.
.
In order to give a greater portability to our accumulator, instead of the liquid
we can use mattresses of cellulose or cocoa nut saturated with acified water. These
mattresses can be placed either between the plates of the same electrode, or between
the different electrodes, or on the bottom and on the sides of the box. We can also
use a combination of free liquid and mattresses and put the same on the one or the
other of above specified places.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1) The combination in accumulators of two or three plates or grates which form
electrodes, with an internal chamber for the liquid, which can either communicate
with the electrolyt or be completely shut up.
2) The combination of two or three plates, as aforesaid, the two outer plates
having hard pastils with light density, the middle plate having very light and very
porous pastils with a much lower density, this plate being either fully or partially
filled with said pastils.
3) The combination of bars or grates, or plates of lead or other suitable sub-
stance conducting or non conducting, hard or elastic, with the electrodes,-to
prevent the fall of the pastils from the two outer plates in the inside of the
. electrode.
4) The use of this grate when conducting, as a secondary conductor of current,
either for the small pastils between the bars of the outer plates or for a single pastil
without bars and in such case without frame.
5) The right of using a calcareous aluminous alcalin cement as above described
and obtained by whatever method as a mixture of the combination of the main
products which can be extracted from the above described mortar and the com-
bination of calcareous aluminous alkalin cements with the active substance of all
accumulators.
6) The use in some cases of fluosilicious or silicious substances which form a
plastering on the external face of the pastils and bars and gives after chemical
reduction a silicious varnish, hard and permeable; this varnish can also be obtained
by agglomeration and compression of silicious cement in form of powder.
7) In the accumulators in which the liquid is made immoveable by whatever
system, the use of electrodes with an internal chamber of the liquid either
hermetically closed or communicating with the electrolyt. This chamber can be
continued by a pipe and all electrodes of the same polarity can be branched on the
same pipe.
8) The combination of the electrodes with mattresses of cellulose, asbestos or
any other suitable substance saturated with liquid, and placed on the bottom of
the box or jar between the block of the electrodes and the sides of the box.
9) The disposition of a mattress of cellulose or asbestos or any other suitable
substance saturated with oil, petroleum, paraffin or any other substance in order to
prevent the evaporation.
10) The disposition of the accumulators in a sack of cloth previously made and
sewed, and impervioused by means of hydrocarburet composits.
11) Finally the whole of the principal disposition above described as being the
main features of this system of accumulator.
Dated this Eleventh dan
1000

page_text: Improvements in Secondary Batteries and Accumulators.
Mr. PIERRE Germain, Electrical Engineer, Auxerre Departement de l'Yonne,
France, 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:-
Each positive electrode of this accumulator consists of three plates A, B, M of
lead or lead alloy placed face to face, one against the other and solidly together.
The two outer plates A, B are identical and symetrically disposed. They
consist of an external frames with internal divisions the shape of which being
such as to prevent the active substances filling the divisions from falling from the
inside M to the outside of the plates. The distance of the two outer plates is
fixed by a third plate M consisting of a combination of vertical and horizontal
bars the space between these bars being the same as the space of the divisions
of the two outer plates; they are generally not filled with the active substance but
form a set of chambers D for the liquid; these bars are so disposed that they
divide the pastils of the outer plates in equal parts and prevent said pastils from
falling in the inside; they work further as secondary conductors for the current
and diminish the internal resistance of the electrode.
ין
In special cases and in view to obtain a larger capacity we intend to fill up
either all or some of the divisions of the middle plate with light and very porous
pastils, said pastils being obtained by moulding in a cold state oxyds of lead and a
compound called calcareous aluminous alcalin cement hereafter described, the
mixture being at first liquid and getting solid after dessication.
For special purposes, instead of this third plate, we can use a set of pieces
made of celluloid, ebonite or similar substances or a diaphragm of cocoa nut fibre,
powdered cork, etc.
The three plates are bored in the corners, the centre, and if necessary in other
places; the plates of the same electrode or all the plates of one element are fixed
together with pins a which pass through the holes of the three plates and nuts b,
and form a rigid block; the positive and negative electrodes are alternately
disposed at equal distances, which is fixed by small washers c; the pins, nuts and
washers are made of ebonite, celluloid or any other suitable substance.
also solder the three plates together with the ordinary soldering iron and an alloy
of lead.
We can
For small and light sizes, we can suppress the bars of the outer plates and use
the frame and the middle plate only as a support of the single pastil.
The chemical products which are used for the fabrication of the pastils are as
follows:
1) A calcareous aluminous alkalin cement-a special compound manufactured
as follows:-The white or light pink alunite which is found in soft violet or red
gneiss, is a natural compound of alum, alumina and silex; this alunite carefully
pulverized and mixed up with pulverized chlorophane, (a natural compound of
calcium and fluor) in the proportion of 20 parts of alunite, 70 of chlorophane;
10 of sulphuric acid are added and the whole is heated up to red in a crucible
and the powder thus obtained forms a mortar which is easily mixed with metallic
oxyds.
The proportion of these substances can be something modified according to the
results which are to be obtained and to the composition of the natural alunite which
is not always the same.

page_text: 3) In some cases a plastering of fluosilicious substance, which after some
chemical reductions forms a thin very hard and permeable silicious layer. The
plates are soaked in a solution of fluosilicate of inagnesia and dried; they are
afterwards washed with sulphuric acid which forms on the surface of the plates a
layer of silex; the other products are soluble in water.
These various products are mixed up in the proportion of 10 p. cent. of cement
and 90 p. cent. of oxyds of lead, and compressed into the divisions of the outer
plates and the pastils very hard and adherent on the bars have a great electrical
capacity. The charging and discharging of the accumulator have no action what-
ever on the strength and durability of the active substance. The accumulators
constructed as above described can be placed in a suitable box of hard wood which
is protected against the action of the liquid by a sack of cloth rendered impervious
by impregnation in a mixture of liquid tar and oil which has been boiled with
bioxyd of mangan. This box can be either hermetically closed with a cover of
ebonite, glass, porcelain, lead, or with a mattress of cellulose saturated with oil or
other suitable substance so as to prevent the evaporation of the water.
In order to give a greater portability to our accumulator, instead of the liquid
we can use mattress of cellulose or cocoa nut saturated with acidified water.
These mattress can be placed either between the plates of the same electrode or
between the different electrodes or on the bottom and on the sides of the box.
i
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1) The combination in accumulators of two or three plates or grates which form
electrodes with an internal chamber for the liquid, which can either communicate
with the electrolyt or be completely shut up.
2) The combination of two or three plates as afore said, the two outer plates
having hard pastils with light density, the middle plate having very light and very
porous pastils which a much lower density, this plate being either fully or
partially filled with said pastils.
3) The combination of bars or grates or plates of lead or other suitable substance
conducting or nou conducting, hard or elastic with the electrodes to prevent the
fall of the pastils from the two outer plates in the inside of the electrode.
4) The use of this grate when conducting as a secondary conductor of current
either for the small pastils between the bars of the outer plates or for a single
pastil without bars and in such case without frame.
5) The right of using a calcareous aluminous alkalin cement as above described
and obtained by whatever method as a mixture of the combination of the main
products which can be extracted from the above described mortar and the com-
bination of calcareous aluminous alkalin cements with the active substance of all
accumulators.
6) The use in some cases of fluosilicious or silicious substances which form a
plastering on the external face of the pastils and bars and gives after chemical
reduction a silicious varnish hard and permeable; this varnish can also be obtained
by agglomeration and compression of silicious cement in form of powder.
7) In the accumulators in which the liquid is made immoveable by whatever
system, the use of electrodes with an internal chamber of the liquid either
hermetically closed or communicating with the electrolyt. This chamber can be
continued by a pipe and all electrodes of the same polarity can be branched on the
same pipe.
8) The combination of the electrodes with mattresses of cellulose, asbestos or
any other suitable substance saturated with liquid and placed on the bottom of
the box or jar between the block of the electrodes and the sides of the box.
9) The disposition of a mattress of cellulose or asbestos or any other suitable
substance saturated with oil, petroleum, paraffin or any other suitable substance in
order to prevent the evaporation.

page_text: 10) The disposition of the accumulators in a sack of cloth previously made and
sewed and impervioused as above described.
11) Finally the whole of the principal dispositions above described as being the
main features of this system of accumulator.
Dated this Fifteenth day of October A.D. 1892.
P. GERMAIN.