IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMARY OR GALVANIC ELECTRIC BATTERIES AND IN THEIR CONSTRUCTION
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THOMAS ROWAN of Palace Chambers in the city of Westminster, Consulting
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRIMARY OR GALVANIC ELECTRIC BATTERIES AND IN THEIR CONSTRUCTION, to be
as follows:
"
This Invention relates to improvements in primary or galvanic electric batteries,
which improvements are designed to provide batteries capable of yielding a
constant current of high electromotive force and are in consequence especially
adapted to furnish an electric current suitable for electric lighting and for portable
lamps as well as for other
purposes.
.
In carrying my Invention into practise I construct one of the electrodes of
carbon preferably in a granulated or broken condition, which may be contained or
held in a porous cell of any suitable shape, or the carbon may be surrounded by a
porous diaphragm or envelope of suitable material such as parchment paper, felt, or
the like. The carbon so contained, or held, is moistened by a solution of nitrate of
mercury, or nitrate of silver, or nitrate of aluminium, or nitrate of chromium, or
nitrate of lead, or nitrate of copper, or nitrate of iron, or other suitable soluble
metallic, nitrate, or, this electrode may consist of a hollow cell of carbon of any
convenient shape which may be closed or sealed and which may contain or enclose
nitric acid or any suitable soluble nitrate, or the porous carbon cell may be filled
with granulated or broken carbon or any suitable porous material instead of or
mixed with the granulated or broken carbon such as felt, pumice stone, &c: which
may be moistened or saturated with any suitable nitrate or with nitric acid
The soluble electrode or positive electrode (forming the negative pole) is zinc,
which is immersed or moistened with a-solution of sal ammoniac, or common salt
or other suitable chloride. It will be understood that when desired the zinc can be
transferred to the porous cell or envelope.
Dry batteries especially adapted for military purposes are readily constructed by
surrounding the hollow carbon cell or other porous cell or envelope as already

page_text: described with felt or other suitable porous material or substance which is
moistened or saturated with a solution of sal-ammoniac or common salt or other
suitable chloride and which is in contact with the zinc electrode or electrodes. The
porous material saturated to any desired extent with sal-ammoniac or common salt,
or other suitable chloride, can be dried, and has simply to be moistened with water
or other suitable finid when required for use. The granulated carbon or the porous
material contained in the porous cell or envelope or carbon cell can also be saturated
with the nitrate and kept in a dry condition-When the battery is required for use
it has merely to be moistened with water or other suitable fluid.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, BLANCHE A. ROWAN of Bayfield Southsea in the County of Hants
administratrix of the late Thomas Rowan of Palace Chambers in the City'
of Westminster Consulting Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMARY OR GALVANIC ELECTRIC BATTERIES AND IN THEIR
CONSTRUCTION" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly,
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in primary or galvanic electric batteries
which improvements are designed to provide batteries capable of yielding a
constant current of high electromotive force and are in consequence especially
adapted to furnish an electric current suitable for electric lighting and for portable
lamps as well as for other purposes.
In carrying such invention into practice one of the electrodes is constructed of
carbon preferably in a granulated or broken condition which may be contained or
held in a porous cell of any suitable shape or the carbon may be surrounded by a
porous diaphragm or envelope of suitable material such as parchment paper felt or
the like. The carbon so contained or held is moistened by a solution of nitrate of
mercury nitrate of silver nitrate of aluminium nitrate of chromium nitrate of lead
nitrate of copper or nitrate of iron or other suitable soluble metallic nitrate or this
electrode may consist of a hollow cell of carbon of any convenient shape which may
be closed or sealed and which may contain or enclose nitric acid or any suitable
soluble nitrate or the porous carbon cell may be filled with granulated or broken
carbon or any suitable porous material instead of or mixed with the granulated or
broken carbon such as felt pumice stone &c which may be moistened or saturated
with any suitable nitrate or with nitric acid.
•
· The soluble electrode or positive electrode (forming the negative polo) is formed
of zinc which is immersed in or moistened with a solution of sal ammoniac or
common salt or other suitable chloride It will be understood that when desired tho
zinc can be transferred to the porous cell or envelope.
Dry batteries especially adapted for Military purposes are readily constructed by
surrounding or covering a carbon electrode or the hollow carbon cell or other porous
cell or envelope as already described with felt or other suitable porous material or
substance which is moistened or saturated with a solution of sal ammoniac or
common salt or other suitable chloride and which is in contact with the zinc
electrode or electrodes. The porous material saturated to any desired extent with
sal ammoniac or common salt or other suitable chloride can be dried and has simply
to be moistened with water or other suitable fluid when required for use.
carbon electrode or granulated carbon or the porous material contained in the
porous cell or envelope or carbon cell can also be saturated with a nitrate solution
and kept in a dry condition. When the battery is required for use it has merely to
be moistened with water or other suitable fluid,
The

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
is claimed is
First. The employment in a primary or galvanic electric battery of an electrode
formed of carbon (preferably in a granulated or broken condition) enclosed within
a. porous cell or surrounded by a porous or flexible diaphragm or envelope and
moistened by a soluble nitrate all substantially as herein set forth and for the
purposes specified.
Second In a primary or galvanic electric battery the employment of an electrode
consisting of a hollow carbon cell containing a soluble nitrate with or without the
admixture therewith of granulated or broken carbon or other porous material
substantially as berein set forth.
Third The employment in combination with an electrode or electrodes formed or
constructed as above of an electrode or electrodes of zinc immersed in or moistened
with a solution of sal ammoniac common salt or other suitable chloride substantially
as herein set forth and for the purposes specified.
Fourth The employment in the formation of an electric battery of an electrode or
electrodes of carbon covered protected or surrounded by a porous envelope or
casing of absorbent material saturated or moistened with a solution of sal ammoniac
common salt or other suitable chloride in combination with a zinc electrode or
electrodes whether such carbon electrode or electrodes be moistened or saturated
with a nitrate solution or otherwise all substantially as herein set forth and for the
purposes specified.
Fifth The employment in the construction of an electric battery of a carbon
electrode or electrodes separated from a zinc electrode or electrodes by a porous or
flexible diaphragm of absorbent material saturated or moistened with a nitrate
solution substantially as herein set forth.