IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BATTERIES FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING. AND OTHER PURPOSES.
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Noad, of City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Electrical Engineer, and Rowland Matthews, of the same place, Gentleman,
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BATTERIES
FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING. AND OTHER PURPOSES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Noad and Rowland
Matthews at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th November
1883.
JAMES NOAD, of City Road, in the County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer,
and ROWLAND MATTHEWS, of the same place, Gentleman, IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BATTERIES, FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING, AND OTHER
PURPOSES,
According to our Invention we place within one or more outer cells of glass,
earthenware, or other acid proof material, an inner porous cell or inner porous cells
provided with a lip or channel hanging over the outer cell or cells to carry off the
rising solution to be utilized as hereinafter described. The inner or outer cell or
cells is or are provided with an iron plate or iron plates, and charged with Nitro
hydrochloric acid (Nitro muriatic acid) to which water is added, This exciting
solution we use for starting the inner cell or cells. The outer cell or cells is or
are fitted with a carbon plate or plates and charged with Nitric acid, sulphuric
acid and nitre (preferably in the form of crystals) and diluted with water, according
to the battery power required; this is for quantity, but for intensity we reverse
the order and place the carbon plate or plates in the inner cell or cells and charge
with the solution just above mentioned. If coupled up for lighting purposes we
couple iron to carbon, but if for the deposition of metals, or for motive power we
couple up all iron and all carbon.
The outer cell or colls having been charged with the solution of nitric acid
sulphuric acid and nitre causes the overflow of the inner cell or cells, the rising

page_text: solution from which is carried off by the lip or channel to a secondary or storage
battery.
This secondary or storage battery is according to our invention provided with
iron and carbon plates which are coupled up and it is so arranged that it
receives the overflow of the rising solution either from the inner cell or cells or
from the outer cell or cells of the primary battery. By this means we are enabled
to keep up a continuous current of great intensity for lighting purposes, motive
power, or for the deposition of metals.
Batteries so formed will last a considerable time so long as the carbon cells are
kept charged with the solution, hereinbefore mentioned, and the iron plates
renewed, there being no polarization of the plates nor crystallization of the cells.
i

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Noad and Rowland Matthews in the Patent Office on the
14th May 1884.
JAMES NOAD, of City Road, in the County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer,
and ROWLAND MATTHEWS, of the same place, Gentleman IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BATTERIES FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING AND OTHER
PURPOSES
Our Invention relates to improvements in primary and secondary batteries for
electric lighting, and other purposes, and in carrying out our Invention, we place
within one or more outer cells of glass, earthenware, or other acid proof material,
an inner porous cell, or inner porous cells, the outer cells of which, in certain cases,
receive the positive elements or electrodes, while the inner cells receive the negative
elements or electrodes and vice versa. Both the inner and the outer cells are
provided with suitable means for carrying off the overflow arising from the exciting
solution employed. This exciting solution is hereinafter described, and is utilized for
charging a secondary battery, forming an integral part of the whole, said secondary
battery being constructed in the manner as hereinafter specified
In order that our Invention may be readily understood, we proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the battery is
shewn as arranged for intensity.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a combined primary and secondary battery,
constructed according to our invention, one side of the tank or case containing the
secondary battery being removed, in order to clearly shew the electrodes.
-
Fig. 2, is a plan of the same,
Fig. 3, is a vertical section taken on the line a, b, of Fig. 1, and
Fig. 4, represents one of the plates forming the elements or electrodes of the
secondary battery.
In figs. 1 and 2, the iron plates forming the positive elements or electrodes are
shewn in thick black lines.
C, are the outer cells of glass, earthenware, or other acid proof material, which
we provide with iron plates D, or blocks, (by preference wrought iron) which form
the positive elements or electrodes; these iron plates D are so arranged as to pass
down one side of the cell, along the bottom thereof, and up the other side, as
shewn in fig. 1, in order to present as large a surface as possible to the exciting
solution; the third cell of the primary battery being shewn in section for the
better understanding of the same.
The inner porous cells E, are provided with carbon plates F, or blocks, which
form the negative elements or electrodes.
The outer cells Care, according to our invention, charged with a solution
composed of Nitro-hydrochloric acid (Nitro muriatic acid) and water, in say the
following proportions, 1 part acid to 6 parts water; and the inner cells E are
charged with a solution composed of nitric acid, sulphuric acid and nitre
(preferably in the form of crystals) to which water is added according to the
battery power required, in say the following proportions: 1 part nitric acid, 1 part
sulphuric acid, and part nitre. This is for intensity, but for quantity we reverse
the order, and place the carbon plates or blocks in the outer cells, and the iron
plates in the inner cells, and charge these outer cells with the latter named solution.
If to be coupled up for lighting purposes, we couple up the iron electrodes to the

page_text: carbon electrodes, but for motive power, or for the deposition of metals, we prefer
to couple up all the iron electrodes together and all the carbon electrodes
together.
The coupling up of the iron and carbon electrodes is effected in any well known
manner, as for instance, by means of clamps and binding screws G, the clamps
embracing the carbons and iron plates for nearly their whole width. Those parts of
the iron plates D, which extend above the outer cells C, are curved, in order to be
readily connected to the corresponding carbon plates.
We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to any particular
size of elements or electrodes, but we have found from practical working that
carbon plates or blocks of 1 inch in width by 7 inches in length, and inch
in thickness for the inner cells E, and iron plates of 7 inches in length, 6 inches in
width, and inch in thickness for the outer cells C, to 'give good results, when
quantity is required; for intensity, we have found that good results may be
obtained by using iron and carbon plates or blocks of 7 inches in length, 1 inch in
width, and inch in thickness; the proportions of the ingredients forming the
solutions are the same both for quantity and for intensity.
The porous inner cells E, having been charged with the solution of nitric acid,
sulphuric acid and nitre, this solution causes the overflow of the outer cells, and
this overflow, as generated, is carried off from the outer cells, by the lips c (or by
other means) to charge a secondary battery L, which forms an integral part of and
is used in combination with the primary battery above specified, the said secondary
battery being located in a tank or case, within or over which placed, the primary
battery, as shewn in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and which secondary battery is started with
a solution composed of nitro-hydrochloric acid and water, in say 1 part acid to
20 parts water.
The tank or case is divided by a partition P, into two compartments M and N,
the secondary battery being arranged in the compartment M.
The overflow arising from the inner cells is carried off by the lips e, into the
compartment N, and is run off as useless.
This secondary battery, according to our invention, is provided with plates of
iron l, and plates or blocks of carbon m, arranged alternately. These alternate
plates of iron and carbon receive the overflow of the rising solution from the outer
cells of the primary battery. The iron plates and m are pierced with a hole as
shewn in Fig. 4, through which parallel brass bars q and a pass, and on which bars
the said plates are hung, they being kept at a certain distance one from the other
by distance pieces r. These brass bars 8 and 9, are fixed to the ends of the tank
or case.
The primary battery is coupled up with the secondary battery by means of the
wires n and p. The wires n' and p¹ lead to the lamp or other apparatus to be
worked.
When quantity is desired, we place the iron plates, forming the positive elements
or electrodes, in the inner porous cells E, and the carbon plates, forming the
negative elements or electrodes, in the outer cells C, then the plates of the secondary
battery are placed in the compartment N and the compartment M receives the
overflow from the outer cells C, which overflow is run off as useless. The overflow
from the inner porous cells is carried off by the lips e to charge the secondary
battery placed in the compartment N.
In some cases both the compartments M and N of the tank are provided with
our improved secondary battery, an opening being made in the partition P, to
allow the solution to pass from one compartment of the tank to the other; this
opening in the partition P may be opened or closed, at will, by any convenient
means.
By the means above described we are enabled to keep up a continuous current
of great intensity for lighting purposes, motive power, or for the deposition of

page_text: Batteries so formed will last a considerable time, so long as the carbon cells are
kept charged with the solution bereinbefore mentioned, there being neither
polarization of the iron electrodes nor crystallization of the cells.
Having now described the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the
same may be performed, We declare that We claim :-
1. The construction and mode of working of a primary battery, having carbon
and iron electrodes, and charged with exciting solutions substantially as and for
the purposes described.
2. The utilization of the overflow from a primary battery formed and charged
with the solutions above claimed, for the purpose of charging a secondary or
storage battery, as described.
3. The construction of secondary or storage batteries with alternate electrodes
of iron and carbon as described, and arranged to receive the overflow generated by
the exciting solutions employed for starting the primary battery.
4. The combined primary and secondary battery, the latter of which receives
the overflow solution generated in the former, substantially as set forth, and as
shewn in the drawings.
In Witness whereof We the said James Noad and Rowland Matthews have
hereunto set our hands and seals this fourteenth day of May in the year 1884.