IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES AND ELECTRIC ACCUMULATORS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Edward Tenison Woods of 19 South Grove,
Peckham Rye in the County of Surrey, Electrical and Civil Engineer for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES AND ELECTRIC
ACCUMULATORS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Edward Tenison
Woods at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th August
1882.
JOHN EDWARD TENISON WOODS of 19 South Grove Peckham Rye in the
County of Surrey Electrical and Civil Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY
BATTERIES AND ELECTRIC ACCUMULATORS
The objects of my Invention are to construct Secondary Electric Batteries and
Electric Accumulators for the Storage of Electric force or power on new and improved
principles so as to make them capable of accumulating retaining and subsequently
giving off as required a considerably increased quantity of Electrical force with
largely diminished weights and sizes of the apparatii employed.
This I accomplish in various ways hereinafter described by using the Electro
Chemical affinities of various Oxides so as to produce a grater secondary action
than is obtained by the arrangements and materials hitherto in use
In secondary Batteries in common use the force is accumulated by converting
the Oxide of lead on the surface of the plates into peroxide and suboxide of lead
respectively by means of electrical force-The Secondary Action of these Batteries
takes place only so long as the difference between these two oxides of lead remains
unequalised and therefore the equivalent capacity for accumulating force is
necessarily bounded by the capacity for absorbing Oxygen of Oxide of lead and the
relative Electro positive and negative nature of the peroxide and suboxide of lead
used.
In my Invention I use oxides of metals of low equivalent combining weights and
high capacity for absorbing and throwing off oxygen.
I construct the accumulators with plates or electros either of carbon or of alloys
of chromium and iron or other suitable metals having the .ecessary conducting

page_text: power These are covered with a layer of sesqui-oxide or other oxide of chromium
retained on the surface of the Electros by a fibrous covering of asbestos or other
similar material unaffected by the chemical actions embraced in the use of the
apparatus.
When a Secondary Battery is constructed as above. and is subjected to a current
of dynamic electricity chromic acid (which contains nearly half its weight of
Oxygen) is produced on one side of the plates and protoxide of chromium on the
other side The electro-motive charging force being removed and the communi-
cation being established between the opposite poles of the Battery as before
mentioned an intense electric secondary current is produced which continues until
the chromic acid has transferred one half the Oxygen it contains to the protoxide
of chromium on the opposite sides of the plates or electros.
I also claim the use of per-manganic acid in the form of a per-manganate and
.sub oxide of manganese with suitable electros or plates covered as before mentioned
for all the above purposes also the use under certain circumstances in the arrange-
ment of the apparatii above specified of bin-oxide and sub-oxide of copper at the
opposite sides of the plates with copper plates or other suitable electros with the
asbestos or other suitable covering before mentioned.
It will be obvious to anyone acquainted with the subject that all or any of the
above mentioned Oxides have a lower equivalent weight and higher equivalent
power of absorbing and throwing off oxygen than the oxides of lead at present.
generally used in Secondary Batteries and that the capacity for the Storage of
Electrical force as above explained for a given weight of material is vastly higher.
The substance of my Invention consists in the use of the Oxides above specified
in apparatus for the storage of Electrical force as above described

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Edward Tenison Woods in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th February 1883.
JOHN EDWARD TENISON WOODS of 19 South Grove Peckham Rye in the
County of Surrey Electrical and Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY
BATTERIES AND ELECTRIC ACCUMULATORS
The objects of my Invention are to construct secondary electric batteries and
electric accumulators for the storage of electric force or power on new and improved
principles so as to make them capable of accumulating retaining and subsequently
giving off as required a considerably increased quantity of electrical force with
largely diminished weight and size of the apparatii employed
This I accomplish in various ways hereinafter described by using the Electro-
Chemical affinities of various oxides so as to produce a greater secondary action
than is obtained by the arrangements and materials hitherto in use
In secondary batteries in common use the force is accumulated by converting
the oxide of lead on the surface of the plates into peroxide and suboxide of lead
respectively by means of electrical force. The secondary action of these batteries
takes place only so long as the difference between these two oxides of lead
remains unequalized and therefore the equivalent capacity for accumulating is
necessarily bounded by the capacity for absorbing oxygen of oxide of lead and the
relative electro positive and negative nature of the peroxide and suboxide of lead
used
In my Invention I use oxides of metals of low equivalent combining weights and
high capacity for absorbing and throwing off oxygen
I construct the accumulators with plates or electros either of carbon or alloys of
chronium and iron or other suitable metals having the necessary conducting
power but I prefer the alloy of chronium and Iron These are covered with a
layer of sesqui-oxide or other oxide of chronium occasionally mixed with a little
chromic and to commence the cataletic action retained on the surface of the electros
by a fibrous covering of asbestos or other similar material unaffected by the chemical
actions embraced in the use of the apparatus
When a secondary battery is constructed as above and is subjected to a current
of dynamic electricity chromic acid (which contains nearly half its weight of
oxygen) is produced on one side of the plates and prot-oxide of chronium on the
other side The electro motive charging force being removed and the communi-
cation being established between the opposite poles of the battery as before
mentioned an intense electric secondary current is produced which continues until
the chromic acid has transferred one half the oxygen it contains to the prot-oxide
of chronium on the opposite sides of the plates or electros
I also claim the use of per-manganic acid in the form of a per manganate-
sub-oxide of inanganese with suitable electracs or plates covered as before
mentioned for all the above purposes, also the use, under certain circumstances
in the arrangement of the apparatii above specified of bin-oxide and sub-oxide of
copper at the opposite sides of the plates with copper plates or other suitable
electros with the asbestos or other suitable covering before mentioned
It will be obvious to any one acquainted with the subject that all or any of the
above mentioned oxides have a lower equivalent weight and higher equivalent
power of absorbing and throwing off oxygen than the oxides of lead at present
generally used in secondary batteries and that the capacity for the storage of
electrical force as above explained for a given weight of material is vastly higher

page_text: The substance of my invention consists in the use of the oxides above specified
in apparatus for the storage of electrical force as above describe l
In constructing the secondary, battery with oxides of chromium as above
described I sometimes use diaphrams of unglazed carthenware instead of the
covering of asbestos to retain the oxides on the surface of the electrodes and where
great accumulating power is required this is found convenient
In forming the secondary batteries of manganate or per-manganate of an alkali
and sub-oxide of manganese the use of porous diaphrams though not essential is to
be preferred and the batteries are found to charge more readily when the oxides
used are wetted with sulphate or other salt manganese
The construction of the third form of Secondary Battery with sub-oxide of copper
and black oxide or per-oxide of copper is preferable made with copper electrodes
and the oxides can either be retained on the surface of the plates by coverings of
asbestos or woven spun glass or by means of porous diaphrams of unglazed
carthenware as above specified
I claim the use of asbestos and woven spun glass as mediums for retaining the
metallic oxides in all three forms of accumulators above mentioned or the surface
of the electrodes
I also claim the use of the metallic oxides above mentioned in the construction
of secondary Batteries or accumulators for the storage of electrical force in
apparatus of the various forms and constructed of the several materials above
described
JOHN EDWARD TENISON WOODS
(L.S.)