Improvements in Galvanic Cells.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THEODOR WILMS, of 49, Bohnkenstrasse, Hamburgh,
Electrician.]
Improvements in Galvanic Cells.
I, ROBERT ACTON BURNELL, of 101 Bishopsgate Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Commission Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The electric battery which forms the subject of the present invention is constructed
on the principle of the Léclanché batteries, in which the electrodes consist of zinc and
carbon, and the exciting liquid of a solution of sal-ammoniac.
In the present battery instead of surrounding, the round or square carbon placed
in a clay cell with a mixture of granulated manganese and carbon, and hermetically
closing the clay cell above as in the Léclanché batteries the carbon which is made of
compact, parallelopipedic, or rifled cylindrical form, is provided at the centre with a
hole extending from end to end which facilitates the arrangement of the terminal and
the outer surface of the said forms being provided with deep grooves.
These grooves serve for the reception of porous sheaths filled with granulated
unheated manganese, and one of them serves as a support for the rod of zinc with
a terminal, the said rod being insulated from the carbon by the non-conductor which
may be of wood, glass, or the like. The rod of zinc is so supported by its bearer that
it does not touch the bottom of the vessel containing the exciting liquid, and with the
manganese sheaths, say by means of an Indiarubber band it is so held together with
the carbon that it can rotate upon its axis.
The carbon made of the best purified retort-graphite by strong pressure and at
white-heat has, by this special treatment or composition, obtained the property that
the zinc oxides are no longer deposited thereon as hitherto, and they present moreover
by their special form such a large surface to the exciting liquid that the electro-motive
power is considerably increased, whilst the space required and the weight of the battery
are very small.
By reason of the fact that the sheaths protrude far from the exciting liquid, the
manganese comes in direct contact with the latter and also with the atmospheric air,
so that the hydrogen generated is at once absorbed by the oxygen which is continually
renewed, thereby imparting to the battery an extraordinary durability. Moreover,
the sheaths can, with the greatest facility, be gradually turned, filled with fresh
manganese or replaced by new ones, without interrupting the action of the battery,
which has not been possible in any of the arrangements heretofore used.
In order to transform the Léclanché battery above described into a dry battery the
porous sheaths heretofore employed for enclosing the manganese are replaced by a
casing of peatmoor pressed out or a similar material susceptible of absorbing as much
liquid as possible, for surrounding the carbon.
This comparatively thick casing is preferably made of a square or other form
corresponding to the transverse section of the carbon electrode and surrounds the
latter in such a manner that the granulated manganese inserted into the spaces
produced will come in contact with the entire surface of the carbon electrode. The
casing serves for the absorption of the exciting liquid as well as in the place of the
non-conductor above described for insulating the zinc electrode enclosing it all around
and provided with passages.
The battery thus formed is placed in a sufficiently wide vessel and the space desired
between the side of the vessel and the zinc electrode is packed with a hygroscopic
material as for the casing so that the battery receives a firm hold in the vessel. The

page_text: hygroscopic, non-conducting layers which bear firmly against the zinc electrode, and
the finely granulated filling of manganese are then impregnated with a solution of
sal-ammoniac, the vessel around the carbon is filled by pouring into it gypsum or other
suitable material, in order to prevent the evaporation of the electrolyte, and the cavity
in the carbon likewise filled with granulated manganese is for the same purpose closed
through the medium of a piug.
By this arrangement of the passages in the zinc electrode an effective circulation of
the electrolyte is rendered possible, and by the entire arrangement a dry-battery is
obtained which has a large surface and a corresponding electromotive power.
The battery has moreover the great advantage that it can be sent away without
impregnation and that the electrolyte need not be introduced, through the cavity in
the carbon until the battery is mounted.
Dated this 18th day of April 1889
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Galvanic Cells.
I, ROBERT ACTON BURNELL, of 101 Bishopsgate Street, London 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 :-
The electric battery which forms the subject of the present invention is constructed
on the principle of the Léclanché batteries, in which the electrodes consist of zinc and
carbon, and the exciting liquid of a solution of sal-ammoniac.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings the figures of which are
hereinafter referred to.
In the present battery instead of surrounding the round or square carbon placed in
a clay cell with a mixture of granulated manganese and carton, and hermetically
closing the clay cell above as in the Léclanché batteries the carbon a which is made of
compact parallelopipedic, or rifled cylindrical form, is provided at the centre with a
holo 6 extending from end to end, which facilitates the arrangement of the terminal g,
and the outer surface of the said forms being provided with deep grooves c, d, e, f as
represented in Figure 2.
These grooves serve for the reception of porous sheaths filled with granulated
unheated manganese, and one of them serves as a support for the rod of zinc with
the terminal 1, the said rod being insulated from the carbon by the non conductor k
which may be of wood glass, or the like. The rod of zinc is so supported by its
bearer that it does not touch the bottom of the vessel containing the exciting
liquid, and with the manganese sheaths say by means of an India-rubber band m
held together with the carbon a that it can rotate upon its axis.
The carbon made of the best purified retort-graphite by strong pressure and at
white-heat has, by this special treatment or composition, obtained the property that
the zinc oxides are no longer deposited thereon as hitherto, and they present more-
over by their special form such a large surface to the exciting liquid that the
electromotive power is considerably increased, whilst the space required and the
weight of the battery are very small.
By reason of the fact that the sheaths h protrude far from the exciting liquid, the
manganese comes in direct contact with the latter and also with the atmospheric air,
so that the hydrogen generated is at once absorbed by the oxygen which is con-
tinually renewed, thereby imparting to the battery an extraordinary durability.
Moreover, the sheaths can, with the greatest facility, be gradually turned, filled
with fresh manganese or replaced by new ones, without interrupting the action of
the battery, which has not been possible in any of the arrangements heretofore used.
In order to transform the Leclanché battery above described into a dry battery the

page_text: porous sheaths heretofore employed for enclosing the manganese are, as represented
in Figures 3 and 4, replaced by a casing h¹ of peatmoor pressed out or a similar
material susceptible of absorbing as much liquid as possible, for surrounding the
carbon.
This comparatively thick casing h¹ is preferably made of a square or other form
corresponding to the transverse section of the carbon electrode a, and surrounds the
latter in such a manner that the granulated manganese inserted into the spaces o
produced will come in contact with the entire surface of the carbon electrode. The
casing h¹ serves for the absorption of the exciting liquid as well as in the place of
the non-conductor k above described for insulating the zinc electrode l'enclosing it
all around and provided with passages.
The battery thus formed is placed in a sufficiently wide vessel n, and the space m
desired between the side of the vessel and the zinc electrode is packed with hygro-
scopic material as for the casing h¹ so that the battery receives a firm hold in the
vessel n.
The hygroscopic, non-conducting layers h¹ and m which bear firmly
against the zinc electrode, and the finely granulated filling of manganese are then
impregnated with a solution of sal-ammoniac, the vessel n around the carbon is filled
by pouring into it gypsum or other suitable material, in order to prevent the
evaporation of the electrolyte, and the cavity 6 in the carbon likewise filled with
granulated manganese is for the same purpose closed through the medium of a
plug.
By this arrangement of the passages in the zinc electrode an effective circulation
of the electrolyte is rendered possible, and by the entire arrangement a dry-
battery is obtained which has a large surface and a corresponding electromotive
power.
The battery has moreover the great advantage that it can be sent away without
impregnation, and that the electrolyte need not be introduced through the cavity b
in the carbon until the battery is mounted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A Leclanché battery, in which the carbon, for increasing the surface, is
made of a hollow body which is parallelopipedic or provided with longitudinal
grooves, upon the outer surface of the said body being embedded the porous
sheaths filled with unheated granulated manganese, and the rod of zinc that is
separated by a non-conductor from the carbon, in such a manner that the sheaths
are in direct contact with the atmospheric air and with the electrolyte, for the purpose,
on the one hand, of bringing the hydrogen generated in contact with continually
renewed oxygen, so as to impart to the battery a great durability, and obtaining, on
the other hand, with the least space and weight, an increased electromotive power
and convenient accessibility.
Second. The modification of a Leclanché battery in which the zinc electrode
surrounds the carbon electrode with the filling of manganese like a casing, a layer h¹
of insulating material adapted to allow the passage of the exciting liquid being
inserted, and that if necessary it is provided with holes and tightly surrounded by
a layer m of insulating material impregnated with the exciting liquid, for the
purpose of converting the battery into a so-called dry-battery.
Dated this 5th day of January Los.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.