Electrical Battery.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1894-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[Communicated from abroad by FRED DUBERO, Electrician, and PETER
MOHRDIECK, Machinist, both residing at 24, Rausch Street, in the City
and County of San Francisco, State of California.]
Electrical Battery.
I VICTOR ISIDORE FEENY, of No. 60 Queen Victoria Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improvement in batteries for generating electricity,
and in means for operating the same.
It consists in certain details of construction which will be more fully explained
by reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a view of a series of batteries, one of them being shewn in cross-
section,
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the battery, shewing one form of
applying my invention.
The object of this invention is to provide a continuous or constant battery, the
elements of which are renewed during the operation of the battery, and in the
employment in conjunction with said battery of sea water as the active energizing
element.
In the construction of my battery I employ any suitable substances which will
form the positive and negative elements of the battery, these being well known to
those conversant with such matters.
These elements are so arranged with relation to each other that the negative
element may be alternately submerged in the active solution in which the positive
element remains. constantly submerged, and then withdrawn therefrom and exposed
to the air to become dry and to absorb a certain portion of air before it is again
submerged.
This operation may be carried out in various ways. I have found a very
suitable method is to make the negative element in the form of a rotary cylindrical
chamber.
In this construction, A is an outer case which may be made of any suitable shape
or desirable material, and may, if desired, form a part of the negative element
of the battery. Within this case is placed the positive element or plate B.
In the present case it is shown in the form of a hollow rectangle which fits
within the outer case and is maintained out of contact therewith either by insulating
supports at the bottom or sides, or similar insulating suspending devices from
above.
C is a shaft extending across the outer case and turning in suitable bearings
therein having stuffing-boxes to prevent leakage at the point where the shaft enters
the case.
Upon this shaft is fixed a circular revolving cylinder D.
In the present case, this cylinder consists of two sides separated from each other
and having a surrounding rim forming an enclosure, within which is placed a filling
of manganese or other suitable or desired material, in coarse particles about the
size of peas.
The sides of the cylinder are perforated with small holes so as to admit the
solution or liquor of the battery to enter freely into that portion which is sub-
merged, and from which it can escape as the portion of the cylinder emerges from
the liquid.
Within the cylinder are fixed the carbon blocks E which extend through from

page_text: side to side, and may project a little on each side of the cylinder, or they may be.
entirely enclosed within it.
The cylinder is rotated by any suitable power applied thereto so that it is turned
very slowly.
By experiment, I have found that sea-water forms a most economical and valuable
exciting liquid for this apparatus, which has been designed especially for use upon.
sea-coasts and upon ship-board where it is intended to generate power for any purposes
for which it is desired to use it.
In order to economically use the sea-water and to constantly renew it as is
necessary, have shown an inlet pipe or passage F through which the water is
delivered into the interior of the outer case A near the bottom.
This outer case extends up so high as to nearly or entirely close the rotary
cylinder, and the supply pipe extends up to a point near the top of the cylinder.
Upon the opposite side of the case, at a point below the line of the shaft, is a
discharge pipe or passage G through which the liquid is constantly flowing out and
discharging through a suitable discharge pipe H.
By this arrangement I am enabled to supply fresh exciting liquid constantly to
the battery, and renew it continuously.
The cylinder being rotated, as previously described, at a very slow rate, a portion
of it will always be submerged in the liquid and another portion will be constantly
exposed to the air, where it and the contents will be partially dried and will absorb
a certain amount of oxygen from the atmosphere which remains therein when it is
again plunged beneath the surface of the exciting liquid.
In order to couple single batteries of this sort together, the shafts C of any
number of these batteries may be united by couplings, as shown at I, it being
necessary in uniting these batteries in series to introduce a non-conducting plate of
hard rubber or other substance J into the couplings so as to prevent actual contact
of the shaft sections.
The outer case and the cylinder which form a negative element of each section
of a coupled battery will be connected with the positive element of the next
succeeding battery, and so on to any extent which may be desired, by the usual
couplings (not here shown).
The connection with the positive element of the battery is made by means of a
binding screw P, the standard, fixed to the outer casing, being of hard rubber if
this casing forms a part of the negative element, and having a metallic rod or wire
extending through it to form contact between the element B and the conductor
fixed to the binding post. Connection with the negative element is made through
the shaft C upon which the cylinder is mounted.
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. A battery consisting of an exterior tank for containing an exciting liquid, a
positive electrical element of the battery submerged therein, a shaft extending
across the containing tank and turning in journal boxes thereon, a cylinder composed
of perforated sides and rito, and adapted to contain a pulverized element which
acts as a negative in the battery.
2. A battery consisting of an exterior containing tank for the exciting liquid, a
positive element of the battery consisting of a plate or plates supported within
the tank and insulated from the negative element of the battery, a shaft journalled
across the tank and rotatable thereon, a cylinder composed of perforated sides and
rim secured to said shaft, and carbon blocks fixed in the cylinder so that the constant
rotation of the cylinder alternately submerges and removes the periphery of the
same and the carbon blocks from the exciting liquid.
3. An electrical battery consisting of an exterior tank, positive and negative
elements disposed with relation to each other and the tank as described, and an

page_text: exciting liquid consisting of sea-water into which the negative element is alternately
immersed, and from which it is withdrawn, substantially as herein described.
4. A battery consisting of positive and negative elements arranged with relation
to each other as described, a containing tank, means whereby the negative element
is alternately immersed in said tank and removed therefrom and exposed to the
atmospheric influence while so removed, a means for circulating sea-water or exciting
liquid through the tank, consisting of a supply pipe into which the sea-water is
delivered above the normal level within the tank, and a discharge pipe at the
opposite side through which the water constantly overflows, substantially as herein
described.