Year: 1887

page_text: UV.
Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted. 21st Sept., 1888
We, HENRY CORNELIUS DONOVAN of Midleton House Humber Road Blackheath
in the County of Kent, Electrician, and THOMAS WEATHERALL of 36 Annandale
Road East Greenwich in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to that class of two-fluid voltaic batteries in which pots of
porous carbon have heretofore been employed for the purpose both of separating the
liquids and as the negative electrode of the battery. Such pots are more expensive to
manufacture than flat plates and are very liable to be damaged in moving the battery,
and our invention has for its object to enable flat plates of carbon to be used both as
the porous septum separating the liquids, and as the negative electrode ; and to this
end the invention consists of a battery in which the trough or tank is divided into
compartments by plates of porous carbon whose side and bottom edges are let into
grooves made in the sides and bottom of the trough, a water-tight joint being made
by running into the grooves an insulating cement such as one composed of paraffin
wax and resin, with which the trough is also lined throughout.
Dated this 26th day of November 1887
H. C. DONOVAN.
T. WEATHERALL.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,.
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: We HENRY CORNELIUS DONOVAN of Midleton House Humber Road Blackheath
in the County of Kent Electrician and THOMAS WEATHERALL of 36 Annandale Road
East Greenwich in the County of Kent Electrician, 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 :-
Our invention relates to that class of two-fluid voltaic batteries in which pots of
porous carbon have heretofore been employed for the purpose both of separating the
liquids and as the negative electrode of the battery. Such pots are more expensive to
manufacture than flat plates and are very liable to be damaged in moving the battery,
and our invention has for its object to enable flat plates of carbon to be used both as
the porous septum separating the liquids and as the negative electrode and to this end
the invention consists of a battery in which the trough or tank is divided into
compartments by plates of porous carbon whose side and bottom edges make a water-
tight joint with the sides and bottom of the trough by being sealed into the insulating
and waterproof coating with which the trough is lined.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying Drawings forming part of this
Specification in which Figure 1 represents a part plan view of a battery thus
constructed. Figures 2 and 3 are detail views shewing slightly different ways of
fixing the carbons.
The wooden trough A is lined throughout with an insulating and water tight
compound such as paraffin-wax, or a mixture thereof with resin or pitch or any of the
various insulating and water tight compounds now much in use in electrical
construction. The wooden sides and bottom of the trough may either be grooved,
as in Figure 2, with grooves sufficiently wide and deep to allow for the lining of
insulating and watertight material with which the grooved sides and bottom of the
trough are to be uniformly coated or the wooden sides and bottom of the trough
may. be plain and the grooves be merely impressed or moulded in the lining as in
Figure 3.
In either case the edges of the carbon plates C are received in grooves thus
formed in the insulating and waterproof lining and before being inserted therein
they are heated to a temperature of not less than say 150° Fahrenheit and then the
edges of the plates to the extent of about of an inch are dipped in a boiling
substance or mixture similar to that used for lining the trough. While the plates
are still hot they are to be inserted in their grooves and properly sealed therein
by running a heated tool along the joint.
The mode of fixing the zinc plates Z may be similar but forms no part of the
present invention.

page_text: 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
A battery trough or tank divided into compartments by plates of carbon forming
also the negative electrodes, whose side and bottom edges are sealed into and make
a water-tight joint with the insulating and waterproof coating of the tank or trough
in the manner and for the purpose specified.
H. C. DONOVAN.
T. WEATHERALL.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.