Improvements in Electric Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1898-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
Improvements in Electric Batteries.
A communication to me from PHILIP ALBERT EMANUEL, of Aiken, in the County
of Aiken, State of South Carolina, United States of America, Attorney at
Law.
به
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the Firm of Edwards and Co., Chartered Patent
Agents and Engineers, of 65 & 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
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, and accompanying drawings, that is to say: -
My invention relates to thermo and hydro-electric batteries, and especially to a
combination of the two. Broadly my invention consists in strengthening the
current generated by a novel form of thermo-pile by superimposing on it a cur-
rent generated by the heating agency of the pile.
It is well known that thermo-electric currents are produced by an electromotive
force arising from the difference of temperature in two heterogeneous sub-
stances. Thus, if the elements of a thermo pile are made up of discs as herein-
after described, and their peripheries are kept cool and their centers heated, a
current will flow from one element of the couple to the other if they are eloc-
trically connected.
According to my invention this heating of the couples is accomplished by
passing steam from a suitable source through channels or passages in the thermo
piles. The peripheries of the discs forming the couples of the piles are kept
cool by water or other liquid which surrounds them. The effect of the heat of
the steam and cold of the water thus acting upon the couples will be to produce
a constant electric current of low potential.
In order to increase the electro-motive force of this current, I make use of the
hydro-electric property of steam. The steam is discharged from its source
through the thermo piles at high pressure, and the friction of the vesicles of
water which are carried with the steam against the channels or passages through
which they pass, cause them to become charged with positive electricity.
This positive electricity which is caused also by expansion and condensation of
the steam, becomes absorbed by the negative electricity of the piles and thus
builds up their electromotive force and strengthens their action.
Not only is the steam used to heat the thermal series or couples and to
strengthen their electromotive force, but it also acts to draw the surrounding
cooling liquid against the peripheries of the couples by causing a partial vacuum
in the channels or passages of the piles. The steam also acts to carry off any-
thing that might accumulate in the said passages.
I will now describe my invention in greater detail, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 represents a vertical contral sectional view of my improved thermo and
hydro-electric battery.

page_text: Figure 2 represents a sectional view of the same taken along the
of Figure 1.
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Figure 3 represents a plan view of one of the elements before it is placed in
the battery, and
Figure 4 represents a vertical central sectional view of another form of bat-
tery constructed according to my invention.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
A, A, represent two vessels composed of earthenware, glass, hard rubber, wood,
metal or other suitable material. The vessels A, A are provided at each end with
The necks of the
openings A° and into these openings fit the stoppers B.
stoppers pass through the openings A, while the flange b¹ rests in engagement
with the packing a inside of the vessel.
These stoppers B, may be composed of glass, glazed earthenware, wood, hard
rubber, vulcanized fibre, or other suitable material, and are each provided with
a longitudinal passage or channel 6°. The stoppers are further held in position
by the plates A¹, which fit into the vessels A and engage the stopper flanges b.
Passing longitudinally through the vessels A and with their ends engaging the
inner ends of the stoppers B, are a plurality of tubes C of unglazed earthenware,
wood, or other suitable porous material.
Within each of the tubes C is placed a thermo-pile, consisting of a plurality
of thermo electric couples. These couples consist of metal discs D and E, each
of which has an opening through its centre. These discs, constituting the
elements of the piles, may be stamped out in the shape as shewn in Figure 3,
where d represents strips of the metal left around the periphery of the discs, and
used for connecting the elements of the couples together. The elements or
discs are adapted to fit closely into the tubes C, as wads into a cartridge shell,
and are placed in position in the tubes and connected together in the following
order.
At or near the bottom of each tube is located a disc or element E of one
polarity; next above this disc is placed a disc of earthenware E¹ having a central
aperture which registers with the aperture of the element next to it. Above this
earthenware disc is placed another element D of different polarity, from the
element on the opposite side of the earthenware disc; then the two elements of
opposite sides of the earthenware discs constituting a couple, are joined at their
peripheries by the strips d, which are bent up or down and made to lap over
the discs or elements to which they are joined. An earthenware disc is then
placed over this couple, and a similar couple placed over the earthenware disc,
and so on through the series. The discs or elements of each couple are joined at
their peripheries by the strips d and the couples are joined or connected with each
other at or near their centres by the metal strips & passing through the apertures
of the discs as shewn. When the elements have been thus placed in the porous
tubes C, and separated from each other by the earthenware discs E¹ as described,
the piles are held securely at each end between the stoppers.
The openings through the discs of the piles form a continuous channel or pas-
sage F, passing through each pile and registering with the passages or channels
through the stoppers. When the vessels A, A are placed one above the other as
shewn, the passages of the lower stoppers of the upper vessel register with the
passages of the stoppers of the lower vessel, and in this way a continuous passage is
afforded through the stoppers and piles. The piles and tubes C is each of the
vessels A, A, are surrounded by a cooling liquid G, which is preferably water.
The several piles may be electrically connected together in any convenient way.
For this purpose the stoppers are provided with the conductors H, which pass
through the body of said stoppers and connect with the elements as shewn.
Enclosing the vessel A, A and stoppers B, is a casing K of metal, wood, or
. other suitable material. The ends of this casing are provided with inside
circular flanges, which form sockets k. Into these sockets k fit the outer ends

page_text: of the extreme upper and lower stoppers B, and coinciding with the passages
through these stoppers are the inlets and outlets and respectively.
This
The inlets are connected with a steam chamber L, and this steam chamber is
in turn connected through a valve L¹ with the steam dome of a boiler M.
boiler is provided with a furnace N of any suitable kind.
The valve L' may operate to admit steam into the battery either intermit-
tently or continuously as may be desired.
A spider K is secured to the inside of the casing K, and engages the sleeves K³
surrounding the recess of the stoppers which pass into the bottom and top of
the upper and lower vessels A, A respectively.
The space between the ends of these stoppers within the said sleeves may be
varied; it may be increased so as to form an expanding chamber for the expan-
sion of steam, or it may be diminished so that the stoppers meet.
The couples composing the thermo-piles may be bismuth-zine, copper-bismuth
iron-antimony, bismuth-nickle, cobalt-iron, bismuth, antimony, bismuth-
selenium, or any metal or alloy couples which may be found convenient for the
purpose.
According to my invention, the heating of the couples is accomplished by
passing steam from the boiler M, up through the channels or passages F, and,
therefore, in contact with the centers of the discs D and E. The peripheries
of the discs forming the couples are kept cool by the water which surrounds
the tubes C and passes through their pores.
While I have shewn and described herein a certain form of battery, many
obvious changes may be made therein. Thus, while I have shewn two
vessels A, A, one placed above the other, and both containing thermo-piles, I may
employ only one vessel A and one set of thermo piles, or, the number of vessels
may be increased to a larger number than two. And again, while I have shewn
a plurality of piles contained in each vessel A, I may enclose each pile in a
separate vessel, as shewn in Figure 4, where A² represents the enclosing vessel.
And indeed I may make many alterations and changes in the above described
invention without departing from the spirit thereof.
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:
°
1. The method of generating an electric current, which consists in heating a
portion of the electric couples of a thermo pile by steam and keeping other por-
tions of said couples cool by a surrounding liquid.
2. The method of generating an electric current which consists in passing steam
through the couples of a thermo-pile and thus heating said couples in parts, con-
fining said piles in porous tubes and surrounding said tubes by a cooling liquid
whereby said couples are kept cool in parts.
3. The method of generating an electric current, which consists in passing
steam through the couples of a thermo pile and heating the pile thereby and
causing the steam to superimpose its electricity upon that of the pile.
4. The method of generating an electric current, which consists in passing
steam charged with electricity through the couples of a thermo-pile.
5. The conversion of heat energy into electric energy by first converting water
into steam and then passing this steam through thermo-piles and in contact with
portions of the couples thereof.
6. The combined thermo- and hydro-electric battery, as described and as shewn
in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
7. The thermo-electric battery, as described and as shewn in Figure 4.
8. A thermo-electric pile, which consists of a plurality of thermo-electric
couple's separated from each other by porous diaphragms and enclosed in a porous
casing.
9. The combination with a vessel containing a cooling liquid, of a porous tube

page_text: carried within said vessel and surrounded by said liquid, and a plurality of
thermo-electric couples enclosed within said tube.
10. The combination with a vessel containing a cooling liquid, of a plurality of
porous tubes carried within said vessel and surrounded by said cooling liquid, a
plurality of thermo-electric couples enclosed within said tubes, and a plurality
of porous diaphragms separating the elements of the couples, and also the couples
from each other within said tubes.
11. A thermo-electric pile, consisting of a plurality of thermo-electric couples
enclosed in a porous casing, the said couples being composed of a pair of metal
discs electrically connected together at their peripheries, the several couples being
electrically connected together at or near the centers of said discs, and porous
diaphragms separating the elements of each couple and the couples themselves
from each other within said tubes.
12. In a thermo-electric pile, the combination with a porous casing, of a
plurality of thermo-electric couples enclosed in said casing, the said couples
having apertures through them which form a longitudinal passage through said
pile, means for separating the elements of the couples and the couples themselves
from each other, and means for heating the said couples in the vicinity of said
passage and for cooling them around their outer portions.
13. In a thermo-electric pile, the combination with a porous casing, of a
plurality of thermo-electric couples enclosed in said casing, the said couples
having apertures through them which form a longitudinal passage through said
pile, means for separating the elements of the couples and the couples them-
selves from each other, and means for passing steam through the said passage
and for cooling the outer portions of said couples.
14. The combination with a vessel having openings at each end, porous tubes
carried within said vessel, stoppers having a longitudinal passage through them
and inserted in the openings at the ends of said vessel and engaging the ends
of said tubes, cach of the said stoppers being provided with an annular flange
which engages the inner portion of the said vessel, thermo-electric piles carried
within said tubes, each of said piles having a passage passing longitudinally
through and connecting with the passages through said stoppers, a cooling liquid
carried by said vessel and surrounding the said tubes, a source of steam supply,
and means for passing said steam through said passages.
T
Luna 1000
EDWARDS & Co.,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.