Hydrogen.
Year: 1885

page_text: OI Hydrogen.
I, JAMES ALFRED KENDALL of Middlesbrough, in the County of York, Chemist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows =
This invention has for its object improvements on the invention for which
I obtained Letters Patent N° 1481. of 1883, and more especially in those forms
of my apparatus where platinum or other metallic tubes impervious to liquids
are used,
These consist 1st in placing inside the inner metallic tubes a core formed of
porous material, which will resist the heat at which the battery is worked without
melting or falling out of shape.
2nd. In forming a hole right through this core for the hydrogen. The hydrogen
passes from this hole through the previous core to the metallic tube. The object of
the core is to give mechanical strength and rigidity to the inner tube without
covering any part of its surface with impervious material; by this means I can
make the tube of very thin material, and thus at once lighten and cheapen it, and
at the same time cause it to give less resistance to the passage of hydrogen through
its pores.
The materials I have found to answer for constructing cores are :—
powdered corundum,
pure alumina mixed with a little lime,
silica mixed with clay,
ground heavy magnesia,
powdered rutile,
but besides these, almost any fire-resisting earthy matter, not reducible by hydrogen
and heat, may be used.
The materials are simply compressed or packed into the form required, and are
then dried, and if necessary submitted to a strong heat in order to give them
sufficient coherence.
Or in place of these I may use an oxide of a metal, such as nickel not liable on
reduction to fuse at the heat employed, but which when heated as a core in the
presence of hydrogen is transformed to a coherent porous core of metal,
071

page_text: In the case of cells where liquid media are used instead of having the two (inner
and outer) tubes forming the cell closed at the bottom, I have them left open in
such a manner that there is a free passage for gases right through the inner cell,
but the space between the two cells below the electrically active portion is packed
for a short length with refractory electrically insulating and liquid obstructing
materials. This length is shielded from the heat by being placed through the
bottom of the flue, or in other suitable manner.
The packing used is preferably an earthy oxide, such as alumina or magnesia,
and it is a good plan to allow a little melted glass or earthy silicate to soak into
the matter at a white heat so as to make it more coherent. By this means all
fear of contact between the outer and inner tubes even when very close together is
avoided, and thus the cells can be made very compact, and a large number can be
packed into a small furnace space. At the same time the inner tube being open a
direct through current of hydrogen or gaseous mixture containing hydrogen comes
in at one end of the cell, and the excess of gas goes out at the other end. Thus the
necessity is avoided of bringing a gas tube from above to deliver the gas at the
bottom of the platinum tube, a requisite in the case of cells with closed bottoms.
Dated thie 8th day of December 1885
(

page_text: improvements in Gems for Generating Electricity by means
of Hydrogen.
I, JAMES ALFRED KENDALL, of North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, in the County
of York, Manufacturing Chemist, 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 has for its object improvements on the invention for which
I obtained Letters Patent "N° 1481 of 1883, and more especially in those forms
of my apparatus where platinum or other metallic tubes impervious to liquids
are used.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a section of a hydrogen tube.
:
Figure 2 section of flue with two slightly varying forms of cells set therein.
The invention consists 1st in placing inside the electrodes or metallic tubes B, B,
a core B¹ formed of porous material, which will resist the heat at which the battery
is worked without melting or falling out of shape.
2nd. In forming a hole B2, Figure 2, right through this core for the hydrogen.
The hydrogen passes from this hole through the pervious core to the metallic tube.
The object of the core is to give mechanical strength and rigidity to the inner tube
without covering any part of its surface with impervious material; by this means,
I can make the tube of very thin material and thus at once lighten and cheapen it,
and at the same time cause it to give less resistance to the passage of hydrogen
through its pores.
The materials, I have found to answer for constructing cores are :—
Powdered corundum
Pure alumina mixed with a little lime
Silica mixed with clay
Ground heavy magnesia
Powdered rutile
but besides these, almost any fire-resisting earthy matter, not reducible by hydrogen
at the heat employed may be used.
The materials are simply compressed or packed into the form required, and are
then dried, and if necessary, submitted to a strong heat in order to give them
sufficient coherence.
Or in place of these, I may use an oxide of a metal, such as nickel not liable on
reduction to fuse at the heat employed, but which when heated as a core in the
presence of hydrogen, is transformed to a coherent porous core of metal.
In the case of cells where liquid media are used instead of having the two (inner
and outer) tubes forming the cell closed at the bottom as in Figure 1, I prefer to
leave them open as in Figure 2 in such a manner that there is a free passage for
gases right through, the inner cell, but the space between the two cells below the
electrically active portion is packed for a short length D with refractory electrically
insulating and liquid obstructing materials. This length is shielded from the heat
;

page_text: F
If in
by being placed through the bottom of the flue, or in other suitable manner.
cool enough position, the obstructing material can be the solidified medium itself.
The packing used however is preferably an earthy oxide, such as alumina or
magnesia, and it is a good plan to allow a little melted glass or earthy silicate to
soak into the matter at a white heat, so as to make it more coherent. By this
means all fear of contact between the outer and inner tubes even when very close
together is avoided, and thus the cells can be made very compact, and a large
number can be packed into a small furnace space. At the same time the inner
tube being open, a direct through current of hydrogen, or gaseous mixture con-
taining hydrogen comes in at one end of the cell, and the excess of gas goes out at
the other end. Thus the necessity is avoided of bringing a gas tube from above to
deliver the gas at the bottom of the platinum tube, a requisite in the case of cells
with closed bottoms, such as set forth in Figure 1, referring to the drawings, and
more especially to Figure 2.
A is the outer tube formed of platinum or other very refractory metal. B inner
refractory conducting tube lined with core B¹. C medium. D packing between
inner and outer tubes-this if desirable can be formed of the same material as the
medium. E tongues of metal carrying insulating collar F to keep tube B in
position. G, H, top and bottom of flue I. Tube K in Figure 1 is the delivery
pipe for hydrogen, delivering same at bottom of tube B, and tube L is the exit tube
for waste gas.
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:-
1st. The core of refractory porous material placed in the inner electrode or
metallic tube, substantially as,and for the purposes described.
2nd. The cell for gas battery, passing through the flue and having the two tubes
separated by a solid non-conducting or poorly conducting substance, substantially
as and for the purposes described.
3rd. A gas battery arranged with the bydrogen cells as in Figure 2 connected
with the entrance pipe at one end, and the delivery at the other so that the gas can
go straight through without requiring to be led to the bottom by an independent
tube K as in Figure 1.
Dated this eighth day of September 1886