A Novel or Improved Process and Means for Obtaining Electrical Energy from Fuel Gases.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Novel or Improved Process and Means for Obtaining Electrical
Energy from Fuel Gases.
I, WILHELM BORCHERS of the Mining School, Duisburg in the German
Empire, Doctor of Philosophy, 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 :-
My invention consists in a novel or improved process for transforming the chemical
energy of oxidisable fuel gases into electrical energy by means of galvanic batteries
with one or more pairs of cells or compartments in which gases obtained by
imperfect combustion, or by destructive distillation, or by the combined imperfect
combustion and distillation of coal or other fuel are oxydized by the oxygen of the
air so that a large amount of the chemical energy of such fuel gases is recovered as
electrical energy, using solutions containing metals as electrolytes.
A special apparatus is not required for the object of this invention.
Any vessel which by one or more electrolytic diaphragms may be divided into
two or more electrolytic cells or compartments may be used to carry out this
process. Communicating vessels or communicating compartments of a larger vessel
may be used.
I prefer to use acid, neutral or alkaline solutions of cuprous chloride as electrolyte.
Instead of cuprous chloride, other cuprous haloid salts or cupro-stanno-cobalto-
haloid salts for instance Cu, Br,, Cu̟₂, Cu̟₂ISηCl,CoCl2, and iron salts as well
as sulphuric acid containing copper or iron salts in solution, may be employed.
Through one cell of each pair of cells, or compartments, after having filled them
with one of the electrolytes I pass the fuel gas mentioned above while through the
other compartment air is passing. Taking cuprous chloride as electrolyte and the
carbon monoxide in the fuel gas as active substance of the anode cell, a chemical
compound of the composition Cu, Cl,Co is formed. In watery solutions this
compound has the tendency to split up into copper, muriatic acid and carbon dioxide
according to the following equation:-Cu,C,Co + H2O = Cu, + 2 HCI + Co,.
In the cathode compartment the oxygen of the air has the tendency to oxydize
the cuprous salt into cupric salt: Cu,Cl, + 2 HCl + 0 = 2 CuCl, + H₂O.
However these two products, copper in the anode cell and cupric chloride in the
cathode cell have the tendency to restore the original electrolyte, cuprous
chloride-Cu + CuCl = Cu, CL,.
The final result of these three reactions therefore will be the oxydization of
carbon monoxide by the oxygen of the air into carbon dioxide or carbonic acid,
the free chemical energy of this cold oxydization being transformed into electrical
energy, and the electrolyte remaining unaltered.
Hydrogen or hydrocarbons if contained in the fuel gases used will have a like
effect and will undergo oxydization like carbon monoxide.
As under these circumstances in the anode compartment only carbon monoxide,
hydrogen or hydrocarbons, but no common metals will be dissolved, it is possible to
construct the positive pole, which may also form the containing vessel and anode
compartment, out of a cheap metal, say copper or in some cases iron. In such
cases the cathode compartment will have to be a trough of porous or perforated
nonconducting material placed inside the anode compartment. The negative
terminal itself may be made of carbon, platinum or other suitable substance.
FD037

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The process for obtaining electrical energy from oxidisable fuel gases by
means of a battery in which said fuel gases are used as anode substance, the oxygen
of the air as cathode substance and solutions of metallic salts or sulphuric acid
containing copper or iron salts in solution, as electrolyte substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. The use and arrangement of a galvanic battery composed of one or more
pairs of cells in which oxidisable fuel gas is passed through the anode cell of each
pair and air through the cathode cell while both are filled with a solution of
metallic salt or sulphuric acid containing copper or iron salts in solution, as
electrolyte substantially as herein before described and for the purpose set forth.
: Dated this 3rd day of November 1894.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.