IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRIC BATTERIES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Browne Wolsey Webb, of Harrington Square, and Hans
Peter Frederik Jensen, and Jens Jensen, both of Wardour Street, all in the
County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING
TO ELECTRIC BATTERIES
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Browne Wolsey Webb, Hans
Peter Frederik Jensen and Jens Jensen at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 19th April 1883.
BROWNE WOLSEY WEBB, of Harrington Square, and HANS PETER FREDERIK
JENSEN, and JENS JENSEN both of Wardour Street, all in the County of Middlesex,
IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRIC BATTERIES
"
Our invention relates to electric batteries and is chiefly designed to provide an
improved "dry battery" which will operate efficiently, without renewal of the
exciting paste, for a greater length of time than dry batteries, as heretofore made.
Our said invention comprises an improved composition or exciting paste made of
the following ingredients, namely:-Plaster of Paris, gypsum, or similar substance
containing sulphate of lime; chloride of sodium; sal ammoniac; and yeast; in, or
about in, the following proportions, that is to say :-
Plaster of Paris (Ca O. SO,) or the like, 21 parts by weight.
Chloride of sodium (Na. Cl.) 9 parts by weight.
Sal ammoniac (NH Cl) 9 parts by weight
Yeast 5 parts by weight.
These substances are mixed with 16 parts by weight of a solution of sal ammoniac,
and, if desired, 16 parts by weight of sulphate of zinc may be added.
This mixture is stirred until a smooth paste is formed, more or less plaster of
Paris being employed according to the stiffness required.
We sometimes add to the above named ingredients a small quantity of per-
manganate of potash, if the paste is required to be very hard. In order to permit
sufficient air to have access to the composition we insert in the paste before it
Yeast 5 parts by weight.
These substances are mixed with 16 parts by weight of a solution of sal ammoniac,
and, if desired, 16 parts by weight of sulphate of zinc may be added.
This mixture is stirred until a smooth paste is formed, more or less plaster of
Paris being employed according to the stiffness required.
We sometimes add to the above named ingredients a small quantity of per-
manganate of potash, if the paste is required to be very hard. In order to permit
sufficient air to have access to the composition we insert in the paste before it.
Lardens, one or more pieces of elder pith. The dry salt and sal ammoniac do not
Price 4d1

page_text: dissolve at once in the solution but are retained in the paste as a reserve. The salt
slowly dissolving acts upon the sal ammoniac by degrees and thus maintains the
battery in working condition for a very long time; the yeast serves to keep the
paste in a porous condition, and the sulphate of zinc helps to preserve the zinc
element and keep it clean. We can use, with this paste, either copper, carbon or
other suitable material for one element and zinc for the other element, but we
prefer to use manganese blocks, or blocks made of a composition of carbon, manganese,
and iron for one element, and zinc for the other element.
We construct a battery provided with our improved composition in a very simple
manner, that is to say, we employ two manganese blocks forming one element, in
combination with one zinc element well amalgamated, the whole being inserted in
a porous cell glazed outside and at the top inside. The manganese blocks are placed
against the sides of the cell with a space of three times the thickness of the zinc
element between them, the space between the said blocks filled with the paste
and the zinc is then inserted midway between them. The cell being porous the
paste can be made thin because the moisture will be absorbed by the inside of the
cell, thereby making the paste harder and yet retaining an amount of moisture in
the cell that will greatly assist in maintaining the battery in a working condition.
The cell being glazed outside, the evaporation of the moisture is prevented, and the
inside of the cell being glazed at the top prevents the solution being raised by
capillary attraction. We sometimes use an ordinary wood box painted or enamelled
outside with any waterproof enamel or paint.
If we use an ordinary glass cell, we generally line the inside of the glass with
blotting paper for the purpose of absorbing the surplus moisture and enabling us,
when the battery gets too dry, to take the composition out of the glass and moisten
it again. We make a substitute for a so-called "two fluid" battery as follows,
that is to say:-We use two blocks of carbon or other suitable material in
combination with one piece. of zinc as above described. We first make a hard
.paste for the carbon, of either nitric, sulphuric or hydrochloric acid and plaster of
Paris, and we keep the space between the blocks open for the zinc until the paste
around the blocks is sufficiently dry; we then make a paste of plaster of Paris and
sulphate of zinc, common salt, or sal ammoniac. We separate the two pastes by a
thin layer of blotting paper, or, if the paste is sufficiently hard, no paper
required. When the space between the blocks is filled with the paste, we insert
the zinc therein,
We sometimes add chloride of calcium (Ca Cl.) to the composition and in some
cases we also use therein pernitrate of mercury, the latter becomes amalgamated
with the zinc as required.
Instead of the yeast we sometimes use a combination of hydrochloric acid (H. Cl.)
and carbonate of soda.
As a substitute for the zinc element, we in some cases form an element as follows,
that is to say, we make a cell or vessel of burnt clay or other material which will
not be attacked by the acid in the paste, and of suitable form and dimensions, and
we fill the same with mercury, thus constituting an element which will operate
advantageously for a considerable period.

page_text: Data, ime (5) parts by weight, and
Yeast five (5) parts by weight.
:
These substances are mixed with sixteen (16) parts by weight of a saturated
solution of sal ammoniac, and, if desired, sixteen (16) parts by weight of sulphate
of zinc Zn SO may be added. This mixture is stirred until it forms a smooth
paste, more or less plaster of Paris or similar substance being added according to
the desired stiffness of the paste. If the paste is required to be very hard, we
add to the above named ingredients a small quantity of permanganate of
potash K Mn O.
Gypsum or other substance containing sulphate of lime may be substituted for
the plaster of Paris, and the paste will be softer or harder according to the greater
or less quantity of sulphate of lime contained in the substance employed.
The
To permit the circulation of air through the said paste or composition, we insert
therein, before it hardens, one or more pieces of elder pith. The dry salt and sal
ammoniac do not dissolve at once but are retained in the paste as a reserve.
salt slowly dissolving acts upon the sal ammoniac gradually and thus maintains
the battery in operative condition for a very long time; the yeast serves to keep
the paste in a porous condition, and the sulphate of zinc, when this ingredient is
employed, assists in preserving the zinc element or electrode and keeping the same
clean.
We sometimes add chloride of calcium, Ca Ol, to the said paste or composition,
and in some cases we also use therein pernitrate of mercury; the latter ingredient
becomes amalgamated with the zinc as required. Instead of the yeast, we some-
times use a mixture of hydro-chloric acid H. Cl. and carbonate of soda; Na, CO₂..
We can use, with this paste, either copper, carbon or other suitable material for
one electrode and zinc for the other electrode, but we prefer to use for the first named

page_text: electrode manganese blocks, or blocks made of a composition of carbon, manganese
and iron, or the manganese and carbon blocks hereinafter described.
We make these manganese and carbon blocks as follows, that is to say;-We
mix five parts by weight of manganese, two parts by weight of gas-carbon and
two parts by weight of charcoal, and then pulverize the product thus obtained
and mix the same with one part by weight of coal-tar so as to form a plastic
substance. This substance is then pressed firmly into moulds and baked; the
blocks formed in this manner are taken out of the moulds and immersed in
molasses or syrup in a suitable vessel; they are again baked, and are then ready
for use.
In making a battery with our improved paste or composition, we sometimes
employ two of the manganese or other blocks above described as one element or
electrode, in combination with a zinc plate, well amalgamated, to serve as the other
electrode, the whole being placed in a porous cell. The manganese or other blocks
are placed against the sides of the said cell with a space between them equal to
three times the thickness of the zinc plate. This space is filled with the above
described paste and the zinc is then inserted midway between the said blocks. As
the cell is made of porous material, the paste can be made thin because the moisture
>contained therein will be absorbed by the cell, thereby hardening the paste but
retaining an amount of moisture in the cell that will greatly assist in maintaining
the battery in an operative condition. The exterior of the cell is glazed so as to
prevent the evaporation of the said moisture; and the interior of the cell is glazed at
the upper part to prevent the raising of the solution by capillary attraction. This
cell may be placed in an ordinary wooden box painted or enamelled outside with
any waterproof enamel or paint.
We sometimes use an ordinary glass cell instead of the said porous cell. In this
case we generally line the inside of the glass with blotting paper for the purpose
of absorbing the surplus moisture and enabling us, when the battery becomes too
dry, to take the composition out of the cell and moisten it again.
In some instances, we make a substitute for a so called "two fluid" battery as
follows, that is to say :-We use two blocks of manganese, carbon or other suitable
material in combination with one piece of zinc as above described. We enclose
the said blocks in a hard paste composed of either nitric, sulphuric or hydrochloric
acid and plaster of Paris, leaving a space between the said blocks for the zinc.
When the paste around these blocks is sufficiently dry, we fill the said space with
a paste composed of plaster of Paris and either sulphate of zinc, common salt or
sal ammoniac, and we insert the zinc therein. We sometimes separate the two
pastes by a thin layer of blotting paper but if the paste is sufficiently hard this
paper is not required.
We sometimes form a substitute for the zinc or other plate ordinarily used as the
positive electrode in a voltaic cell or battery by making a vessel of burnt clay or
of other material that will not be attacked by the acid in the paste, and of suitable
form and dimensions, and then filling, or nearly filling, the said vessel with
mercury.
A cell or battery, in which this vessel containing mercury is used, instead of the
ordinary zinc or other plate, will operate advantageously for a considerable period
of time.
Having thus fully described our said invention and the manner of performing
the same we wish it understood that we claim ;-
First. In or for an electric battery, the improved exciting paste or composition
wherein we employ plaster of Paris or other substance containing sulphate of
lime, substantially as above set forth, for the purpose specified.
Second. The improved method of manufacturing the manganese and carbon
blocks, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Third. In a voltaic cell or battery, the employment of a vessel of burnt clay, or

page_text: similar material, containing mercury, to serve as a substitute for the zinc or other
plate ordinarily employed as the positive electrode, as above specified.
In witness whereof we the said Browne Wolsey Webb and Hans Peter Frederik
Jensen for ourselves and on behalf of the said Jens Jensen have hereunto set our
hands and seals this Nineteenth day of October in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
BROWNE WOLSEY WEBB
(L.S.)
HANS PETER FREDERIK JENSEN (La.)