CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS USED IN GENERATING CURRENTS OF VOLTAIC ELECTRICITY
Year: 1885

page_text: ROBERT HENELADE COURTENAY of 1 Chatham Terrace Battersea Park Road in
the County of Surrey Telephonic Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my
improved invention for THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS USED IN GENERATING
CURRENTS OF VOLTAIC ELECTRICITY to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the construction of Cells for Voltaic Batteries
combining in both the outer and inner cells watertight and porous substances.
I construct the inner cells with substances of different degrees of porosity, one
side being carbon which becomes the substitute for the ordinary carbon plate, the
other side being preferably unglazed earthenware or other substances of a porous
nature can be used I also make the two sides of the cells of thin carbon plates,
It is necessary sometimes to drill holes in the carbon plates and insert a more
porous substance, the ends and bottom of the cells being made of waterproof
substances such as guttapercha or any other insulating substance or compound,
when two carbon plates are used to form the cells, a Zinc, Iron, or other metal
plate is placed on each side of the carbon plates forming the cells and the cells
are charged with concentrated acid, alkalies, or any other substances or compounds
used in ordinary Voltaic cells, the object being to economise the acid used by
permeating through the parts of the cells opposed to the opposite elements, and
not through the sides or bottom of the cells.
I construct the outer cell with one or more porous plates secured to the inside of
waterproof substances, the plates may be of 'thin carbon, or unglazed earthen-
ware secured to stoneware or guttapercha, waterproofed wood, or other suitable
insulating substance.
When two porous earthenware plates are used in the outer cell, I place two
Carbon cells as described on the outer side of the porous partitions and charge
with acid or other suitable excitant.
When a single cell composed of carbon and a porous plate, is used I place it in
an outer cell having one porous partition only, the Zinc element being placed in
between the porous partition and the waterproof part of the cell and charged with
any desired excitant, Provision is made for lifting the carbon cells out of the
outer cells with the Zinc elements when not required for use.
1

page_text: I, ROBERT HENELADE COURTENAY of 1 Chatham Terrace Battersea Park Road
in the County of Surrey, Telephonic Engineer 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 :—
The particular object of this Invention is so to construct the inner cell of voltaic
batteries as to obtain a larger effective superficial area of surface of the electrodes
than heretofore without unduly increasing the size or weight of the cells and at
the same time retaining great simplicity of construction also the form of the cell is
such that their condition can be easily seen and fresh materials added when
required; and these cells may also be used either as single or double fluid batteries
without alteration. For these reasons cells constructed according to my invention
are particularly suitable for general domestic use such as for table lamps as well as
for obtaining electric power generally where economy of space is desirable combined
with efficiency of power.
Now according to my Invention I construct the inner cells of voltaic batteries
with substances of different degrees of porosity one being, say, carbon and the
other or opposite side being preferably unglazed earthenware or other substance of
a porous nature, substituting of course in other classes of cells such as the so-called
Daniels and others, metallic plates instead of the before mentioned carbon plates.
This combination of plates, namely, those which form one of the electrodes and
those which are porous I cement together into a box like form either rectangular,
or polylignal, in plan thus forming, the inner cell as will be hereafter described.
In order that my invention may be fully described I will now proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a few of such
forms and combinations of cells constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure is a plan of a voltaic battrey of the
so-called "Bunsen" class constructed according to my invention Figure 3 shews
in vertical section and Figure 4 in plan a voltaic battrey of the so-called "Daniels
class also constructed and arranged according to my Invention.
"
Figure 5 is a vertical section and Figure 6 is a sectional plan illustrating an
arrangement of the inner cell of a battrey constructed according to my Invention
wherein a perforated carbon plate is fitted diagonally in same.
Figures 7 and 8 shew respectively in vertical section and half sectional plan an
arrangement of inner cell somewhat similar to that shown with reference to
Figures 5 and 6 but wherein instead of the single carbon plate being placed
diagonally I have shewn two such plates which are preferably perforated arranged
and placed close to the sides of each porous plate.

page_text: Figures 9 and 10 shew in vertical section and plan respectively a compound cell.
constructed or provided with inner cells, all constructed and arranged according to:
my invention.
Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14 shew some other arrangements or adaptations of the
inner cells applied according to my Invention to well known arrangements of
batteries and also the above Figures illustrate the facility of their adaptation to a
few of the special and general purposes of their requirements. Similar letters of
reference refer to like parts in all the Figures.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a, a, are the carbon plates forming two sides of the
inner cell acting and taking the place of an ordinary carbon block or plate. b, b, are.
two porous plates of earthenware, porcelain, or other suitable porous substance:
the carbon and porous plates being mounted upon a base ƒ of insulating material,
such as gutta percha these porous plates b, b, forming in conjunction with the two.
carbon plates a, a, the inner cell which is here shown of a rectangular form in,
plan, but it is obvious that by a different formation of carbon plates a and porous
plates b; this inner cell may, to suit for example any special requirement or purpose,!
be made to assume a polylignal form in plan. The zinc c forming the other
electrode is shewn placed in the outer cell d and may be formed of either 4 plates;
secured together as shewn or of one piece bent into the required form as usual or.
the zinc c may be of cylindric form and still enclose the rectangular or square,
inner cell provided that the nearest corner of the carbon is a sufficient distance
from the zinc cylinder.
By this means the excitant passes through the porous plates 6 from the zinc c to,
inside of carbons a while also acting on the outside of the same carbons a and in
this way the excitant acts on both sides of the carbon plates a
For other batteries for example, such as the so-called Daniels, I form the inner
cell as before described excepting, of course, that instead of the carbon plates, I use:
metallic plates cemented, or fixed to porous plates of any desired shape as in the
example of a Daniel's battrey arranged according to my Invention and shewn as
Figures 3 and 4 where the copper plates a are cemented in conjunction with
porous earthenware or other suitable porous plates b and shewn in plan as being of
rectangular form and the combination of these (in this case two) copper or metallic
plates a and porous plates 6 forming the inner cell which latter together with the
other electrode here shewn as being formed of 4 pieces of zinc secured together, is
placed within the outer cell & which may be made of any usual material say of
wood and cemented inside as shewn at d. A perforated basket e is here shewn in
the inner cell for holding for example the sulphate of copper which is decomposed
by reason of the electro-deposition of the copper from the salt as usual a similar
basket of suitable metal or otherwise may be used with other cells here shown, the,
outer cell may be supplied with water or weak solution of sulphuric acid or other
excitant as usual. Here the excitant acts on both sides of the metal plates a in a
precisely similar manner as before.
Figures 5 and 6 shews one of my inner cells consisting of and composed as
before described of two carbon plates a and two porous plates b and to further
increase the efficiency of the inner cell by increasing the superficial area of acting.
surface of the carbon element, I have shewn an auxiliary plate of carbon a¹ placed
within and diagonally across the inner cell and shewn perforated at a to allow of
free circulation of the excitant. The action will in this case take place between
the zinc plates c and on both sides of the carbon plates a and also between zinc.
plate c and through porous plate b with both sides of the carbon plate a¹, whereby.
the electrically conducting external surfaces of a part of the substances forming the,
actual cells and also internally by means of a part or parts of the cells composed of,
porous substance such as porous earthenware forming with the excitant the means
of the current flowing to the parts of the conducting surfaces or electrodes in the
cells. Sometimes I employ two or more of these auxiliary carbon plates, say one
for each of the porous plates, when instead of being arranged diagonally in plan
as in Figure 6 they may be placed contiguous to each porous plate as shewn at

page_text: Figures 7 and 8 the carbons a³ next the porous plates 6 being perforated thereby
allowing of the action of the excitant contained in the inner cell to take place
through the porous partitions whereby the active surface of the battery is increased.
The carbons may be extended to the porous parts of the cell by placing a per-
forated substance a short distance from the porous plates and filling the cavity
with broken carbon in contact with the carbon plates at the sides of the cell. In
batteries where..metallic plates are used such as Daniels or others, I in like
manner sometimes employ exactly similar auxiliary metallic plates contiguous to
the porous partitions as for example is shewn at a¹ Figures 3 and 4 where there
are shewn two of these auxiliary perforated plates a¹ of copper arranged in a
similar manner to the auxiliary carbon plates shown at Figures 5 to 8.
In Figures 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 the carbon plates forming the inner cell are
electrically connected together by binding wire round one of the corners of each
of the carbon plates and by a connection stretching from one wired corner to the
other or the connections may be made in any other well known and general'
manner.
An example of a trough battery arranged according to my Invention is shown
at Figures 9 and 10 it is composed of the ordinary trough d as usual and made of
wood or other suitable material having four divisions g, g, g, g, of porous material
divided by a central division g¹ which is non-porous and may be formed of the
same material as the trough d, this trough being as usual suitably waterproofed..
In the central division on each side of the trough I place one of my inner cells
each formed in this example of two plates b of porous material and two plates a of
carbon with or without the auxiliary plates a¹ and all mounted on a base of
insulating material f forming as before stated a bottom to the box like inner cell.
In the remaining divisions are placed zinc plates c the connections being made in
any usual or well known manner or as shewn in the drawings.
}
In figures 11 and 12 a battery is shown having six compartments divided from,
each other by porous partitions g of earthenware or other suitable material in
which are placed alternately a zinc plate and one of my inner cells (here shewn as
being provided with auxiliary plates) and connected up in any usual manner or as
in the plan view Figure 12; one of the inner cells constructed according to my
Invention being in the extreme right hand division of the trough so that the
carbon forming the right hand side of the inner cell would not be thoroughly
effective, therefore, in cases like this, I may make my inner cell having the side
nearest the other electrode of carbon and its other three sides being formed of
porous plates of earthenware this example in Figure 12 being provided with per-
forated auxiliary plates as before described, or the cell may be formed in similar
cases of three sides of carbon and the remaining side of porous earthenware.
By another arrangement as shown at Figures 13 and 14 (the outer cell of which
is constructed similar to that illustrated at Figures 9 and 10) in the central division.
of each cell is placed a zinc electrode formed preferably like those shewn with
reference to Figures 1 and 2 and in each side division is placed an inner cell
constructed according to my invention and like to the right hand cell described
with reference to Figure 12. Provision may be made for lifting the carbons
inner cells out of the outer cells with the zinc elements when not required for use.
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 I am'
aware that it is not new to make the inner cell of a voltaic battery entirely of
carbon neither is it new to flute or corrugate the carbon in order to obtain a greater
effective superficial area but what I claim is
:
First. In apparatus for generating voltaic electricity the construction and
employment of inner cells composed and formed of hard carbon or metallic plates
and porous plates or in other words of alternate plates or slabs of carbon or metal
and porous substance so that the excitant fluid may pass through the porous plates
:

page_text: forming the sides of this inner cell and thus act on both sides of the carbon or
metallic plates substantially as set forth.
Second. The construction and employment of cells for the generating of voltaic
electricity composed of non porous carbon plates or metallic plates and porous
plates in combination with auxiliary carbon or metallic plates the said auxiliary
carbon and metallic plates being perforated or not, the whole being insulated
at bottom so that the excitant may not permeate the bottom but only the sides
of the inner cell and in this way be enabled to act on both sides of the carbon or
metallic plates all substantially as set forth.
Third. The composition and arrangement of inner cells in trough batteries sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated with reference to Figures 9, 10,
11 12, 13 and 14 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In apparatus for generating voltaic electricity the method of obtaining
electrically conducting external and internal surfaces of a portion of the substances
forming the actual cells by forming a portion or portions of the cells of porous
substance or substances whereby the excitant is enabled to flow to both sides of
the conducting surfaces or electrodes substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
Fifth. The rectangular or polygonal form of inner cells when constructed and
arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.