IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SECONDARY BATTERIES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SECONDARY BATTERIES."
A communication from abroad by Ernest Volckmar, of Paris, in the Republic
of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st December 1881.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the. Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SECONDARY BATTERIES." [A communication from abroad by Ernest Volckmar of
Paris in the Republic of France]
The object of this Invention is to obtain secondary batteries which will give
with a minimum of weight and dimensions the maximum of electrical energy.
The improvements are described by my communicant as follows:-I arrange &
certain number of secondary couples in a single vessel. The plates I place by
preference horizontally one above the other. In this way there will be as many
elements as there are plates, less one, cach plate being at the same time the positive
electrode of one couple and the negative electrode of the following couple with the
exception of the first and the last plates which form the poles of the battery.
The horizontal arrangement offers one peculiar advantage:-if one of the electrodes
of this nature becomes disintegrated from any cause the di-integrated particles of
a superior plate will fall onto the plate which is immediately below without causing
the least disturbance because these particles will unite themselves with the active
matters of the support upon which they have fallen and identify themselves with
them under the influence of the charging current.
To avoid all loss of energy in secondary batteries I construct them of one or of
many elements hermetically closed in vessels capable of resisting the pressure of
the gases.

page_text: I base my Invention beyond this upon the difference in the densities of hydrogen
gas and oxygen gas to construct batteries of one or many elements with horizontal
plates immersing them in one liquid in a vessel (which is hermotically closed) and
in such manner that on the discharge as well as in the charging the battery the
hydrogen gas which is about one sixteenth of the weight of the oxygen will
always be forced to rise.
Thus under the influence of the charging current the positive electrode of a
secondary battery disengages hydrogen which is carried to the negative electrode.
The negative electrode disengages oxygen which stores itself at the positive
electrode. On the discharge of the secondary battery the gases work inversely
that is to say the positive electrode gives up the oxygen that it has stored up and
this gas finds its way to the negative electrode. The negative electrode gives
up the hydrogen occluded in it and this gas finds its way to the positivo electrode.
In a secondary battery will horizontal plates if the positives of each element
are arranged above the corresponding negatives the battery will be in the most
favourable condition for charging the hydrogen disengaged from the positive
electrode will rise to the negative electrode and the oxygen will descend from the
negative to the positive in accordance with the law of densities.
In working with this battery the position in which it received its charge is
reversed in order to place the positive electrodo above the negative.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st June 1882.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lano in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SECONDARY BATTERIES." A communication from abroad by Ernest Volckmar of
Paris in the Republic of France
The object of this Invention is to obtain secondary batteries which will give
with a minimum of weight and dimensions the maximum of electrical energy-
The improvements are described by my communicant as follows-I arrange a
certain number of secondary couples in a single vessel-The plates I placo hori-
zontally one above the other in a closed watertight vessel as illustrated in sectional
view at Fig. 1-In this way there will be as many elements as there are plates,
less one, each plate being at the same time the positive electrode of one couple and
the negative electrode of the following couple with the exception of the first and
the last plates which form the poles of the battery
This horizontal arrangement offers one peculiar advantage-If one of the
electrodes of this nature becomes disintegrated from any cause, the disintegrated
particles of a superior plate will fall onto the plate which is immediately below
without causing the least disturbance because these particles will unite themselves
with the active matters of the support upon which they have fallen, and identify
themselves with them under the influence of the charging current.
It is to avoid all loss of energy in secondary batteries that I construct them of
one or of many elements hermetically closed, in vessels capable of resisting tho
pressure of the gases.
Beyond this 1 base the success of my battery upon the difference in the densities
of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas
The plates are charged in the usual manner with spongy lead or equivalent
material, and are immersed in the exciting liquid contained in the hermetically
closed vessel which permits of being turned over to reverse the position of the
plates after the charging of the battery.
The
Under the influence of the charging current the positive electrode of a secondary
battery disengages hydrogen which is carried to the negative electrode.
negative electrode disengages oxygen which stores itself at the positive electrode.
On the discharge of the secondary battery the gases work inversely, that is to say—
the positive electrode gives up the oxygen that it has stored up, and this gas finds
its way to the negative electrode. The negative electrode gives up the hydrogen
occluded in it and this gas finds its way to the positive electrode. Thus on the
discharge as well as in charging the battery the hydrogen gas which is about one-
sixteenth of the weight of oxygen will in reversing the position of the battery
receive a tendency to rise
In a secondary battery arranged as described, if the negative of each element
is situate above the corresponding positive as in Fig: 1 the battery will be in the
most favourable condition for charging, as the hydrogen disengaged from the
positive electrode will rise to the negative electrode and the oxygen will descend
from the negative to the positive in accordance with the law of densities
Supposing now the battery to be charged and that it is set to work through
some resistance; The hydrogen stored in the upper part of each element would have
to descend to go to the positive, and the oxygen to rise in order to go to the
negative; this it will be seen is contrary to the law of densities. To re-establish

page_text: the natural order I reverse the battery as indicated at Fig. 2 before beginning
to discharge, and I then find myself under the same favourable conditious as
at first
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Secondary Batteries as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish
it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
I claim constructing reversible secondary batteries of one or more elements in
the manner and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Edward Newton have hereunto set
my hand and seal this First day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two
H. E. NEWTON. (LS)