Improvements in or relating to Primary Batteries for Producing Electric Currents, also applicable for the Purification of Water.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
Improvements in or relating to Primary Batteries for Producing
Electric Currents, also applicable for the Purification of Water.
A communication from JULES CERPAUX, of 17, Boulevard du Midi, Brussels, Elec-
trician, and AMÉDÉE WILBAUX, of 123, Rue des Palais, Schaerbeck-lez-Bruxelles,
Engineer, both in the Kingdom of Belgium.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in primary electric batteries.
It is found that it is possible to obtain a constant durable electric battery without
any appreciable polarisation and adapted to act continuously and of sufficient power
for a large number of applications by using as electrodes two metals or heterogeneous
bodies and immersing the battery simply in pure water or ordinary river or rain
water or sea or salt water the construction of the electrodes their surface and their
distance apart being of course suitably chosen.
It has also been found that the pair of metals or heterogeneous bodies has, when
the circuit is open a purifying action on the water into which it is immersed by
causing the precipitation of calcareous salts etc. which are present in a suspended or
dissolved state in ordinary water so that such a battery may be at the same time used
as a purifying device.
After long experiments as to the best construction for this cell which we call
"water electric collector" the construction hereinafter described was finally chosen
as being a suitable and cheap form.
The object was to construct the battery or cell so as to have both electrodes
permanently secured to a common support so that their distance apart may remain
constant, as this distance is an important factor for the efficient working of a cell of
this kind. The cell when fitted up is very compact and consequently easy to
manipulate especially when it is desired to immerse or to suspend it in a well, a
cistern or other reservoir or in a stream of water.
A cross-shaped bent copper strip, or a copper strip having depending sectioned
or divided arms B (Figs. 1 & 4), is secured to a screw-threaded copper spindle A
(Figs. 1 and 2) engaging in its screw threaded hole b. On this spindle is placed a
porcelain or other insulating cover C which rests in contact on the strip B and is held
in place by a nut D over which is secured a suspension ring E. In the drawings a
simple bent strip B is shown, if a cross-shaped piece is employed its 4 depending
arms would be arranged symmetrically about the central rod A.
The apparatus is then held by the ring E say in a vice and a tube F of some
suitable fabric such as hemp (Fig. 5) is placed vertically and preferably secured in

page_text: the groove.c of the cover C and the whole filled with broken pieces of graphite or
carbon a.
Then a sectioned or slit zinc cylinder G (Figs. 1 and 3) is introduced into an outer
groove d in the cover C, a copper screw spindle N being attached to and projecting
from said cylinder and passing through a hole or recess in the cover C and having
mounted on it the binding screw N¹.
On the other end of the spindle A is placed a second cover C¹ in such manner that
the sock or tube F is retained in the groove c and the zinc tube G in the groove d.
Then a nut H is screwed on and secures the whole device together.
An insulated wire is then secured to the terminal N¹ and another wire between the
parts D and E.
Then the whole apparatus may be simply suspended in any vessel containing water
whereupon a continuous current, without appreciable polarisation is obtained
producing a deviation of a Breguet galvanometer to the extent of more than 20° with
a cell made according to the present invention and shown half size in the accom-
panying drawings.
The difference of potential at the terminals of this cell is 0.8 volts. The strength
of the current produced is about 5-5 to 6 amperes.
It was found that with a Lambotte apparatus (a galvanometer provided with a
Wheatstone bridge used for measuring the current of cells in the telegraph lines
in Belgium) in which this apparatus when immersed in rain-water or running water
produces a deviation of about 57 units, a deviation was maintained of 40 units
with 6 cells arranged in series with a resistance of 10000/100 ohms.
An apparatus immersed in a tank of rain water worked uninterruptedly for
40 days and still continued to work an electric bell of the average size.
It must be pointed out that the shape of the cylinder G is of great importance
for the energy of the current produced the result being nearly nil if, say, simply
a perforated cylinder G is used, although it may seem that a large number of
perforations would increase the surface of the electrode G, and that consequently
the energy would be increased. It was found also that a more satisfactory result is
attained if the depending arms B of the copper cross are sectioned, instead of
being perforated said arms forming so to say the outer collector of the inner
electrode.
The considerable difference in the results obtained by using a sectioned and a
perforated cylinder is unable yet to be explained but it is believed that the distance
between the electrodes has something to do with this phenomenon. As regards the
sectioning of the arms of the cross it is thought that the better results obtained
with sectioned arms is due to the arms being thus made springy or resilient and
consequently come more thoroughly in contact with the graphite filling the
fraginents of which they press one against the other and against the inner
conductor A.
It has been found that there is no loss of current produced by this immersed
apparatus even when the 2 terminals of the apparatus and the lower end of the
rod A are not covered with varnish or insulating paint when the apparatus is reversed
and touches the ground or bottom of the well etc. or the wall of a metallic tank
with its outer zinc-electrode.
The reservoirs may therefore be of any desired material without causing any
inconvenience or loss of current.
When the apparatus is used in a portable reservoir, such as a glass or stone vessel
etc., for use in a building etc., boiled water, saturated with common salt may be used
as a polarising liquid; the energy of the current produced is not however any greater
than if pure or ordinary water were used, but the water thus prepared keeps
better, that is to say, it resists better the development of Inicro-organisms.
A number of apparatus to be immersed in a single vessel or reservoir may be
arranged preferably in parallel, in which case it is preferred the arrangement shown
in Fig. 6 in which 7 cells are held together by rings a¹ and two cross pieces a²
preferably arranged so that, say, the upper ring and the upper cross piece connect

page_text: together the terminals D and the lower ring and cross piece connect the arms N
the rings and the cross pieces being insulated towards the outside by a suitable
insulating material or layer.
It is obvious that several batteries arranged as in Fig. ô may be connected in
parallel or in series.
The cells according to the present invention when applied to the electric trans-
mission of sound waves have important advantages more particularly with regard
to the total suppression of secondary sounds or "buzzing" in telephonic
apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A primary battery cell the polarising liquid of which is constituted by ordinary
rain or salt water comprising a column of conducting material constituting one
electrode and a sectioned cylinder of conducting material surrounding said column
and constituting the other electrode the two electrodes being held at a constant
distance apart by means of two covers of insulating material substantially as
described.
2. In an electric cell the polarising liquid of which is constituted by ordinary
rain or salt water the combination of a column of graphite in contact with bodies
made of conducting material with a sectioned zinc cylinder surrounding the graphite
column the column and the sectioned cylinder being held at a constant distance
apart and maintained between two covers of insulating material substantially as
described.
3. In an electric cell the polarising liquid of which is ordinary rain or salt water
the combination of a column of broken graphite in contact with conducting bodies
and surrounded by a fabric jacket with a sectioned zinc cylinder the column and the
cylinder being maintained at the desired distance apart between two covers of non-
conducting material said covers bring provided on their inner sides with recesses for
receiving the fabric jacket and the sectioned zinc cylinder substantially as
described.
4. In an electric cell the polarising liquid of which is ordinary rain or salt
water the combination of a column of broken graphite traversed by a copper rod
and surrounded by a copper cross, or a strip, with depending sectioned arms con-
nected to said rod the whole being surrounded by a fabric jacket with a sectioned
zine cylinder surrounding said column and two covers of insulating material each
of which is provided with a central passage and on the inner side with a central
recess and a circular groove adapted to receive the fabric jacket and the sectioned
cylinder the covers being secured at the ends of the inner column and of the
outer cylinder by means of nuts one of the covers being provided outside with
terminals for attaching the wires and with a suspension device for suspending and
immersing the apparatus in a water reservoir or stream substantially as
described.
5. In an electric battery the polarising liquid of which is ordinary rain or salt
water the combination of a number of cells each comprising a column of graphite
and a sectioned zinc cylinder held at a constant distance apart between two covers
of insulating material with rings and cross pieces of conducting material insulated
at the outside said rings supporting the different cells and connecting their terminals
the apparatus thus connected being adapted to be immersed and suspended in water
substantially as described.
6. A primary battery consisting of a column of broken graphite traversed by
a copper rod A with screw threaded ends a copper cross, or a strip, with depending
sectioned arms B, mounted on said rod and fabric jacket F surrounding said column
and a sectioned zine cylinder G surrounding said column and its envelope and held
at a suitable distance from it by means of two covers of insulating material fixed on
the ends of the cylinder and rod by means of nuts the column a with its surrounding

page_text: parts B and F entering into recesses on the inner side of the covers. While the
cylinder G engages with a groove in the covers one of the latter carrying a terminal N
connected to the cylinder G and a terminal D connected by means of the
conductor A with the graphite mass and provided with a suspension device
substantially as described.
7. The use of a cell of the character described for the simultaneous generation of
an electric current and purification of the water into which it is immersed
substantially as described.
-
8. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete electric
cell substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.