Improvements in or connected with Primary Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Primary Batteries.
I, AXEL PETERS, of 27, Langgade, Valby, Copenhagen, in the Kingdom of
Denmark, Engineer, 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 relates mainly to the employment of a special depolarizing elec-
trode by means of which polarization is obviated or reduced to a minimum and a
constant current of high electro-motive force is obtained.
This electrode, which I employ as the negative element, that is to say the ele
ment constituting the positive pole of the battery, consists of peroxide of lead, PbO,,
electrically prepared from a lower oxide such for example as litharge, PbO, or
red lead, Ph. The said peroxide of lead is held or supported by a lead plate,
frame or grid after the manner well known in connection with secondary batteries
and is immersed in any suitable electrolyte as for example sulphuric acid, phos-
phoric acid, solution of an acid sulphate or the like. As a positive electrode, that
is to say the electrode which constitutes the negative pole of the battery, I employ
zinc, iron or tin which when desired may be amalgamated.
In a modified form of my invention instead of supporting the peroxide by a
plate or grid or the like I pack it in porous pots similar to those in ordinary use
in certain forms of primary battery.
My invention is applicable for use in connection with dry batteries in which case I
prefer to employ tin or amalgamated tin as the positive element. In this case
the increased cost of the positive element is of secondary importance in view of
the purposes to which dry batteries are usually applied.
A battery so formed, and consisting of the electrodes and electrolytes mentioned
constitutes a primary battery possessing in addition certain of the advantages of
a secondary battery, namely, constancy of current and high electro-motive force.
Such a battery is of low prime cost and so long as there remains any of the lead
oxide in the form of peroxide the battery is practically constant.
The negative electrode may be used repeatedly by removing it from the cell,
charging it electrically in the well known manner so as to peroxidize the lead
oxide, and then restoring it to its position in the cell.
Such a battery is very economical in its working and it has been found by
experiment that whereas a kilowatt of electrical energy when produced by a
dynamo costs about 2d. and when derived from accumulators about 234d, when
produced by a battery of my invention costs about 4. in the case of an iron posi-
tive electrode and about 8. in the case of a zinc positive electrode. A similar
amount of electrical energy produced by a Bunsen battery costs about thirty-nine
pence.
When I employ zinc as the positive electrode I obtain in my primary battery
an electromotive force of about 25 volts whereas in the case of an iron positive
electrode I obtain 1'9 volts and in the case of tin as the positive electrode an electro-

page_text: motive force of 2 volts. The drop in electro-motive force during the period of dis-
charge I have to be only about five per cent.
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
15:―
1. In a primary battery the employment of a negative electrode of electrically
prepared peroxide of lead substantially as set forth.
2. In a primary battery the employment of electrically prepared peroxide of
lead supported by a plate, grid or frame of lead as a negative electrode substan-
tially as set forth.
3. In a primary battery the employment as a negative electrode of electrically
prepared peroxide of lead contained in a porous pot substantially as set forth.
4. In a primary battery the combination of a negative electrode of electrically
prepared peroxide of lead and a positive electrode of zinc, iron or tin.
5. In a primary battery the combination of a negative electrode of electrically
prepared peroxide of lead and a positive electrode of amalgamated zinc, iron or tin.
6. In a dry battery the combination of a negative electrode of electrically pre-
pared peroxide of lead and a positive electrode of tin substantially as set forth.
7. In a dry battery the combination of a negative electrode of electrically pre-
pared peroxide of lead and a positive electrode of amalgamated tin substantially
as set forth.