Improvements in Primary Electric Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Primary Electric Batteries.
I, ALEC ALFRED BEADLE, of Beadonwell, Belvedere, Kent, Electro-Chemist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the use of iron as the electro-positive or active element
in primary electric batteries, and my method of using it I will now describe.
I prefer to use carbon as the electro-negative element, but copper or other suitable
metal may be used.
It has long been known that iron can be used in an electrolyte of a suitable acid
or in most ways similar to zinc and I am aware of its being used in an electrolyte
of a ferric salt, in this case the energy is obtained from the action which takes
place at the carbon, where the ferric is reduced to a ferrous salt, there is a similar
reduction at the surface of the iron, but this does not add to the energy of the cell,
in fact a ferrous salt may be used round the iron and may be separated from the
ferric salt by a porous diaphragm.
When all the ferric salt is reduced to ferrous it may be again oxidised to ferric
by chlorine, air, manganese dioxide or other, oxydising agent, the cell can thus
be regenerated.
In the place of ferrous salt a neutral alkaline salt or other suitable salt may be
used, and in the place of the ferric salt, chromic acid, permanganic acid or other
suitable oxydising agent may be used.
My method therefore is to use a porous partition between the iron and carbon, in
order to prevent local action and waste, on the iron side of which is a ferrous or
other suitable salt, and on the carbon side of which is a ferric salt or other
suitable salt.
I, however, prefer to use ferrous chloride and ferric chloride solutions; ferric
chloride may however be placed round the iron at first and will soon be reduced to
ferrous chloride.
T: 1011 1
L
1000
improvements in Primary Electric Batteries.
I, ALEC ALFRED BEADLE, of Beadonwell, Belvedere, Kent, Electrical Engineer,
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: -
My invention has reference to the use of iron as the electro-positive or activa

page_text: element in primary electric batteries, my method of using it as such I will now
describe.
I prefer to use carbon as the electro-negative element, but copper or other suitable
metal may be used. I place the iron in an electrolyte, the negative radicle of
which is capable of combining with the iron to form a soluble salt & whose positive
radicle is not replaced by iron, and I place the carbon in a depolarizing medium
and separate the two liquids by means of a porous partition.
This separation diminishes local action, thus a solution of the chlorides of
alkalis or of ferrous chloride can be placed round the iron while ferric chloride,
chromic acid, or other suitable oxidising solution can be used round the carbon.
When the depolarizing agent is reduced it can be regenerated by means of a less
expensive oxidising agent, for instance, if ferric chloride is used as the depolarizer
it becomes reduced to ferrous chloride and can be reoxydised by means of chlorine,
atmospheric air or even manganese dioxide or potassium permanganate.
The regenerating agent may be mixed originally with the depolarizing agent,
thus ferric chloride and manganese dioxide in about equal weights and mixed
with a suitable quantity of water has a much greater depolarizing action than the
ferric chloride alone.
As an example of this battery I may give the following:-
In a flat shaped glass jar is placed a flat shaped porus pot, & in this is placed a
piece of sheet iron. This may be filled with a solution of ferrous chloride, or of
ferric chloride, which soon becomes reduced at the expense of a negligable quantity
of the iron.
This should be sealed to prevent the air from having free access to it.
In the outer jar, which has several carbon rods or plates in it, is placed a strong
solution of ferric chloride to which the air may with advantage have free access.
Since the electrolyte round the iron is not used up the smallest quantity is
sufficient, in fact the porous partition may be in close contact with the iron, the
electrolyte which soaks through to it from the carbon side being sufficient.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A primary battery in which iron, used substantially as described, is the
electro-positive element.
2. A battery in which iron is the electro-positive element, placed in an electrolyte
capable of dissolving it only voltaically & separated from a depolarizing solution,
in which is placed the electro-negative element; by a porous diaphragm,
substantially as described.
3. A battery in which iron is the electro-positive element divided by a porous
partition, in which ferric chloride is placed in the electro-negative side & air,
chlorine, manganese dioxide, or other suitable agent is used to regenerate the
ferric chloride when reduced substantially as described.