Improvements in or connected with Electric Batteries.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1897
Complete Specification Left. 30th Apr. 1898-Accepted. 4th June. 1898
Complete Specification Left 30th Apr. 1898– Accepted, 4th June. 1898
.PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Batteries.
We, ALEXANDER DAVID SETON, of Mounie, Old Meldrum, in the County of
Aberdeen, Gentleman, and JOHN LASKEY DOBELL, of No. 46, Connaught Road,
Harlesden, in the County of Middlesex, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of electric batteries in which the electrical
energy is obtained by the consumption or combustion of carbon or carbonaceous
matter.
'
In carrying the invention into effect, a cell or trough is employed of any suitable
shape and preferably of iron, and within this cell is supported in any suitable
manner but so as to be clear of the bottom thereof a porous pot preferably formed
of magnesite and the cell and and porous pot are closed by means of a removeable
cover for the purpose of retaining the heat.
Within the cell or trough and surrounding the porous pot is placed a metal or
mixture of metals of such a character that it is capable of being readily oxidized
and of being again reduced to its metallic base by parting with its oxygen to
carbonaceous matter.
Metals most suitable for this purpose are lead, bismuth, and cadmium, either
separately or in combination but the metal or mixture of metals should be of such
a character that it will fuse at a relatively low temperature.
The metal is maintained in a molten condition within the cell by means of a gas
or other suitable fire.
Within the porous pot is placed a suitable quantity of such metallic salts as form
the higher oxides and are capable of absorbing oxygen from the air at the working
temperature of the battery and of readily giving up or transmitting the same to
the molten metal in the cell surrounding the porous pot.
The following are examples of salts which are suitable for this purpose,
namely.
Stannates,
and these salts may either be employed separately or in combination.
Or, in lieu of the above salts employed within the porous pot the oxide of one
of the metals hereinbefore named as employed within the cell or combinations of
the oxides of such metals may be substituted therefor.
The carbon or carbonaceous matter may be of any suitable kind, for example, it

page_text: may be producer gas, hydro-carbon vapours, or carburetted gas or it may be granu-
lated or broken coal, coke, charcoal or wood, but it must be continuously or inter-
mittently fed into the molten metal within the cell and in close proximity to the
porous pot.
When the cell is formed of iron, one terminal may conveniently be fixed thereto,
whilst the other terminal may be fixed to a rod placed in the salt and of a metal or
alloy capable of resisting the oxidising action of the fused salt and such for example
as brass, silver, or an alloy of silver and copper containing a sufficiently large
proportion of silver, or copper plated with silver, or, the pipe employed for the
introduction of air or other oxidising agent into the porous pot as hereinafter
described may, if formed of such metals or alloy, have one terminal fixed thereto.
Although a porous pot is preferably employed to contain the fused salt it will be
obvious that in lieu thereof the fused salt may be separated from the molten metal
by means of a porous partition or partitions by preference of magnesite.
The action of the battery may be described as follows:-
The fused salt gives up its oxygen through the walls of the porous pot to the
surrounding molten metal within the cell thereby generating electricity, which
metal in turn gives it up to the carbonaceous material or gas containing carbon
fed thereto, with which material it combines whilst the resulting carbonic acid is
allowed to escape into the open air or is collected as a bye product.
In order to replace the oxygen taken from the fused salt in the porous pot, air
or other suitable oxidising agent is forced into the same at the lower part of the
porous pot by preference through a pipe terminating in a perforated ring or the
like.
When employing porous pots or porous partitions of magnesite as above stated
we manufacture the same in the following manner.
A quantity of magnesite which has been previously calcined, slaked and ground
to a finely divided state is moistened with a saturated solution of boracic acid in
water or in spirit and water, or with a quantity of boracic acid dissolved in spirit
and the mass is then kneaded or mixed into a stiff paste or dough after which it is
shaped to the required form. The article is then dried by any suitable means and
in some cases is fired or baked in a muffle of furnace and caused or allowed
gradually to cool, after which it is ready for use.
If it be desired to increase the porosity of the magnesite article to be produced a
quantity of saw-dust, bran, flour or other similar material is mixed with the
magnesite.
By the means hereinbefore described, so long as the battery is fed with carbon
or carbonaceous matter or with gas containing carbon and with a supply of air
or other oxidising agent, a constant current of electricity will be generated at
the expense of the carbon, and the electrical energy of the battery for a given size
will be far greater than of any battery at present known.
Datad this 2nd day of Iul 100%
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Batteries.
We, ALEXANDER DAVID SETON, of Mounie, Old Meldrum, in the County of
Aberdeen, Gentleman, and JOHN LASKEY DOBELL, of No. 46, Connaught Road,.
Harlesden, in the County of Middlesex, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature

page_text: 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:
Our said invention relates to that class of battery in which the electrical
energy is obtained by the consumption or combustion of carbon or carbonaceous
matter.
In the accompanying drawing, which is a vertical section of a battery suitable
for carrying into effect the present invention, a represents a furnace or heating
chamber which is provided with grate bars a¹, stoking door a³, and a flue a³, to
carry off the products of combustion from the fuel, whilst the walls of the chamber
are at a inwardly flanged.
Within the heating chamber or furnace a is arranged a cell or trough 6 of any
suitable shape and preferably formed of iron, and this cell or or trough bis
suspended by means of a flange 61 which rests upon a suitable thickness of insulat-
ing material b✶ upon the flange a*; whilst the top of the cell or pot b is enclosed
by a removeable cover 63, held in position by insulating bolts 63, for the purpose of
retaining the heat.
The cover of the pot is centrally apertured, and within this aperture is
suspended by its flange c¹ in such manner that it is clear of the bottom of the cell
or trough b, a porous pot c, preferably formed of magnesite and the porous pot c, is
at its upper part closed by means of a cover c³, held in position by bolts and nuts c³.
Passing through apertures provided for that purpose in the cover 63, of the cell
or pot bare arranged a number of feed tubes fof iron or other suitable material,
and the upper ends of which are furnished with funnel shaped mouths f¹, through
which the battery is fed with fuel as hereinafter described.
Or, the feed tubes f, might be otherwise arranged but so as to communicate
with the lower part of the cell or pot b as will be readily understood
Within the cell or trough b, and surrounding the porous pot c, is placed a metal
or a mixture of metals 6 of such a character that it is capable of being readily
oxidised and of being again reduced to its metallic base by parting with its oxygen
to carbon or carbonaceous matter.
The metals most suitable for this purpose are lead or bismuth either separately
or in combination and the metal or mixture of metals should be of such a character
that it will readily fuse at a comparatively low temperature.
The metal within the cell or trough b, is maintained in a molten condition by
means of a gas or other fire arranged within the furnace a beneath the cell or
trough b.
C
Within the porous pot c is placed a suitable quantity of such metallic salts cas
form the higher oxides and are capable of absorbing oxygen from the air at the
working temperature of the battery, and of readily giving up or transmitting the
same to the molten metal 64, in the cell b, surrounding the porous pot c.
The following are examples of salts which are suitable for this purpose,
namely
Stannates,
and these salts may either be employed separately or in combination.
It has before been proposed by one of us to employ lead in the cell b and certain
metallic salts or combinations of salts other than those above named with the
exception of Chromates, in the pot c for a similar purpose but in the course of our
xperiments we have discovered that bismuth or a mixture thereof with lead may

page_text: be substituted for the lead, and either of the above named salts or combinations
thereof may be, with advantage, employed in the pot c, and it is this discovery
which constitutes the essence of the present invention.
The carbon or carbonaceous matter may be of any suitable kind, for example, it
may be producer gas, hydro-carbon vapour or carburetted gas, or it may be granu-
lated or broken coal, coke, charcoal or wood, but it must be continuously or inter-
mittently fed into the molten metal within the cell and in close proximity to the
porous pot c.
When solid carbonaceous matter is employed, it is forced through the feed
tubes by means of plungers, pumps, or other suitable means, and is thus fed
into the molten metal b within the cell or trough band in order to retain it in
close proximity to the porous pot c an inclined or conical or other
partition e of perforated material is employed which directs the car-
bonaceous material and retains it in close proximity to the porous pot c
but when the carbonaceous material employed takes a gaseous form it may be
introduced into the molten metal 64, through pipes such as f, descending into
the trough or cell b, in the manner shown; or passing through the walls thereof,
and, in this case, the partition e or an equivalent device may be employed to check
the disturbance of the molten metal by the incoming gas.
When the cell b, is formed of iron, one terminal may conveniently be fixed
thereto and may be in the form of a lug or projection 6**, integral therewith, whilst
the other terminal d** may be carried by a hollow rod or pipe d, hereinafter more fully
referred to, placed in the salt c, and formed of a metal or alloy capable of resisting
the oxidising action of the fused salt, and such as brass, silver or an alloy of silver
and copper containing a sufficiently large proportion of silver, or copper plated with
silver or a separate rod might be employed for this purpose.
Although the porous pot is preferably employed to contain the fused salt c*, it
will be obvious that in lieu thereof the fused salt may be separated from the
molten metal 64, by means of a porous partition or partitions by preference of
magnesite.
The action of the battery may be described as follows:
The fused salt e' gives up its oxygen through the walls of the porous pot c to
the surrounding molten metal 6, within the cell b, which metal in turn gives it up
to the carbonaceous material or gas containing carbon fed thereto. With this
material it combines, whilst the resulting carbonic acid is allowed to escape into
the open air by a pipe 65, carried by the cover 62, of the pot b, or, is by such pipe
conveyed to any desired destination and collected as a byc-product.
In order to replace the oxygen taken from the fused salt c, in the porous pot c,
air or other suitable oxidising agent is forced into the same at the lower part of
the porous pot c, by preference through the pipe d, at its lower end terminating in
a perforated bulb, rose or the like d and this pipe passes through the central
aperture provided in the cover c², from which it is insulated by means of suitable
insulating material d*, and at its upper end the pipe d, is by a branch d³, connected
with a supply of air or other oxidising agent.
When employing porous pots or porous partitions of magnesite as above stated
the same may be manufactured in the following manner:
A quantity of magnesite, which has been previously calcined, slaked and ground
to a finely divided state is moistened with a saturated solution of boracic acid in
water or in spirit and water, or with a quantity of boracic acid dissolved in spirit
and the mass is then kneaded or mixed into a stiff paste or dough, after which it is
shaped to the required form.
The proportions in which these ingredients can usefully be combined will be
found in a prior Specification filed by one of us, namely, No. 4442 of 1897.
The article is then slowly dried by any suitable means, and is then fired or baked
in a muffle or furnace and caused or allowed gradually to cool, after which it is
ready for use.
The baking should be effected in an atmosphere free from silica and metallic

page_text: impurities, or, the article to be baked may be embedded in powdered magnesia, or,
the desired object might be attained by conducting the baking within a furnace
constructed of magnesia bricks.
If it is desired to increase the porosity of the magnesite article to be produced,
a quantity of sawdust, bran, flour or other suitable material is mixed with the
magnesite previous to baking or firing, in proportions according to the porosity
desired..
By the means hereinbefore described, so long as the battery is fed with carbon or
carbonaceous matter, or with gas containing carbon and with a supply of air or
other oxidising agent a constant current of electricity will be generated at the
expense of the carbon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In an electric battery of the character hereinbefore explained, the employment
of a suitable salt within the porous pot, and bismuth or a combination thereof with
lead within the trough or cell, substantially as herein described.
2. In an electric battery of the character hereinbefore explained, the employ-
ment of lead or bismuth or a mixture of lead and bismuth in the trough or cell
and an arsenate, arsenite, vanadate, chromate (except when employing lead in the
cell) manganate, plumbate, zincate, stannate alone or in combination in the porous
pot substantially as herein described.
3. In an electric battery of the character hereinbefore explained, the employment
of an arsenate, arsenite, vanadate, manganate, plumbate, zincate, stannate, alone
or in combination in the porous pot, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 30th day of April 1898.
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.