IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACCUMULATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICITY AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1882

page_text: +11-
LETTERS PATENT to Leon Henri Mathieu Somzée of Brussels in the
Kingdom of Belgium Engineer for an invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ACCUMULATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICITY AND IN THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leon Henri Mathieu Somzée
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st July 1882.
f
LEON HENRI MATHIEU SOMZEE of Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACCUMULATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF
ELECTRICITY AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
-
"
The present invention refers to the accumulation and distribution of, electricity
and its object is firstly the better utilisation of the decomposing power of current
electricity by the application of electrodes presenting multiple surfaces in contact
with the substance to be decomposed, without the interposition of resisting
diaphragms between the elements of a couple, so that the electric fluid shall be
caused to thoroughly penetrate the entire mass of the said substance.
The electrodes are substantially formed in the shape of lattice work wire cloth
or gauze or any other open metallic work or nets connected with each other by
small bars or pins or otherwise; the meshes of the inner net or nets being generally
smaller or closer together whereas those of the outer or retaining net work are
more distant or wider. To the exterior net work is secured a piece of canvass.
Or, the electrodes may be formed of a number of metallic pockets or compartments
or divisions of rectangular or any other shape obtained by retaining grates or nets
intended to afford passage for the liquid and crossed by a number of thin metal
bars or pins. The active substance, that is the matter to be transformed-any
suitable metallic oxide, is placed in the compartments or divisions and the elements
so formed by the combination of two and two or a greater number of rows
are connected with each other so as to constitute an accumulating battery or
accumulator of the requisite force.
:
Or the accumulator may be made of compound elements, the electrodes of which
consist of mammillary or corrugated lead sheets so as to form a number of cavities
Price C11
.

page_text: intended to receive and retain the oxidised metal, the mammels or cavities are
provided with lead pins or studs split open at their ends or otherwise so as to
admit of attaching thereto an outer retaining lattice work of metal. This lattice
work is surrounded with a canvass or cloth in case of the cell or battery being
liquid, or an active capillary paste may be interposed so as to render the
accumulator dry.
Or the electrodes may consist of cellular elements forming a series of chambers
or pockets like a cartridge box the elementary or component parts or tubes of
which serve to conduct the electricity and to propagate it into the oxidised metal
with which the series of cells or cellular box is filled. It suffices to observe a good
relation between the conducting surfaces and the mass of oxide in contact with
them in order to obtain a considerable accumulation of electric energy. The com-
ponent parts or tubes of the series of cells may have a circular, square, polygonal
or any other section and consist of one block or of a multitude of superposed small
tubes either round, oval, oblong, or polygonal, and the accumulator thus obtained
may operate or act in acidulated water or in any oxidised solution whatever or in
any suitable capillary paste or mass according to the nature of the electrodes and
the substance to be transformed or decomposed.
Or again the accumulating or secondary battery may be formed of extremely
divided matter intended to thoroughly distribute the electric fluid through the
whole oxidised mass into which it is conveyed. This matter may consist of lead
shot or granulated metal for the electrodes, and of charcoal or any other suitable
polarising substance for any determined active matter.
In all these constructions as well as almost in all those known up to the present,
imperfect conductors are used as electrodes-the principle involved being to
saturate the conductors with electricity so that the latter will acquire a sufficient
tension for its discharge into the surrounding matter which being of bad conducting
power is necessarily decomposed or transformed consequently this process requires
rather considerable charges.
Now a further improvement in the accumulation of electricity consists in the
combination of relatively good conducting metals with active substances of little
resistance. This process leads to the utilisation of small- initial forces that is to
say it accentuates the principle of charging in quantity by reason of the very short
time required for the accumulation. This system offers a more complete utilisation
of the energy at hand by the special arrangement of the elements, avoiding all loss
of force and obliging the electricity to entirely penetrate and pass through the
oxidised mass.
A battery constructed, according to this principle may consist of two superposed
elements of bioxide of manganese with electrodes of iron and a slightly acidulated
solution. In general may be used the oxidised compounds (saline oxides) which
easily abandon a great portion of their oxidising element. These compounds offer
less resistance than those of lead and are little soluble in water. Some sulphates
would be also very convenient for this purpose; however the judicious application
of the one or the other of these compounds will depend on the most perfect
harmony between the matters in contact and the conductibility of the plates sup-
porting them and also on the acuteness of the mordant-In this case the electrode
plates whether they are straight cylindrical curved square or otherwise shaped are
entirely insulated from each other and have interposed between them the mass to
be decomposed.
The second part of the present invention refers to the uniform distribution of the
eléctricity accumulated by the combination of the charged accumulators with a
system of variable condensing surfaces.
For this purpose any number of elements (one or more) of an ordinary surface
condenser are rendered cylindrical or developed in a manner to occulty as little
space as possible. The cylinder is closed with two covers forming commutators
intended to charge the distributor in tension or quantity and it is provided with
any number of collecting stops of variable diameter and resistance according to

page_text: requirements. The elements of the distributor consist of a thickness of copper
covered by an insulating cloth on which is adapted a tin sheet. A number of those
elements may follow each other and in this case they are preferably separated by a
gutta percha band or any other insulating substance. The whole is protected
inside and outside by a coating or covering of caoutchouc or equivalent matter.
The tendency of the two currents (positive and negative) to unite through the
insulating cloth neutralises their tendency to escape on the surface and consequently
a condenser is obtained having a uniform tension on its whole length hence the
electricity may be drawn off from the stops in quantity proportional to their
section and conductibility. The collecting stops are constructed and arranged so
as to insulate the two electricities and to draw off the latter in quantity or tension
by simply introducing them more or less so as to place them in contact with one
or more elements of the condenser. To this end the stop is divided into two parts
one of which receiving the electricity of the tin sheet whilst the other is in
electrical communication with the copper plate. In order to insure good contact
the tubes as well as the thicknesses of copper are bent up toward the inside of the
stop holes.
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The covers or lids are arranged so as to be connected with any number of con-
ducting wires which may communicate with each other by one, two, or by more wires
with one or more surfaces of the same name, newly charged accumulators being
always connected when the others are exhausted.
The very simple and easy operation of the commutators and the stops entirely
regulate the regimen of the condensation and distribution of the electricity
generated either by a secondary battery or directly by a machine and this mode
of condensing may be also utilised for the canalization of the electricity at more or
less great distances.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Leon Henri Mathieu Somzée in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th January 1883.
LEON HENRI MATHIEU SOMZÉE of Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium
Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACCUMULATION AND DISTRIBUTION
<<
ELECTRICITY AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN "o
OF
My said Invention relates to the accumulation and distribution of electricity and
has for its object so far as regards the accumulation of electricity the better
utilization of the decomposing power of current electricity by the application of
ramified or cellular electrodes presenting multiple supporting and contact surfaces
for the substances to be decomposed without the interposition of resisting
diaphragms between the elements of a couple, so that the electric fluid shall be
caused to thoroughly penetrate the entire mass of the said substance.
In order to better explain the nature of the present invention reference is made
to the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a section and sectioned side view of the
improved accumulator.
The electrodes are substantially formed in the shape of lattice work wire cloth or
gauze or any other open metallic work or nets x y connected with each other by:
small bars or pins K K or otherwise forming supporting ramifications; the
meshes of the inner net or nets a being generally smaller or closer together whereas
those of the outer or retaining net work y are more distant or wider. The oxyde
of lead or other suitable substance is piled in the rectangular box thus obtained
which may be surrounded by a light canvas z offering almost no resistance to the
inner reactions of the couple whereas the ramifications of the electrodes considerably
facilitate and increase the decomposition and recomposition of the thickness of
oxidised metal heaped up between the meshes or cells of the three nets. The
particular construction of these nets connected with each other by the conducting
and supporting pins ensures the rigidity of the elements and renders them very
light. The negative electrode has a polarizing surface which is double that of the
positive one that is to say, the meshes or cells of the latter electrode are less
numerous than those of the former. The couple is plunged into acidulated water
in the manner of an ordinary battery.
Figure 3 represents a sectional view of a modification of the improved accumu-
lator a portion of the same on an enlarged scale being shown in figure 4 and a
side view of it in figure 5.
In this case the central net or nets are replaced by mammillary or corrugated
lead sheets forming a number of cavities intended to receive and to support or
retain the oxidised metal. The cavities are provided with conducting lead pins or
studs K which may be split open at their ends. and connected with each other by
means of thin wires y or an outer retaining, lattice work of metal the minium
being supported in these cavities which form at the same time large surfaces of
contact. If the thickness of oxide be not great the use of any retaining material
will not be necessary as the column of oxide being broken or divided is established
in a more stable manner than if it consisted of one homogeneous block only. If on
the contrary the thickness of oxidised metal be very considerable a capillary
paste P (figure 3) which is not attacked by the acidulated water may be
interposed between the elements the reactions taking place through this special
paste as in acidulated water without diminishing the force of the battery thus
rendered dry.

page_text: In figures 6, 7, and 8 the electrodes form a number of metallic pockets or.
compartments or divisions of rectangular or any other shape obtained by means of
retaining gratings or nets y intended to afford passage for the liquid and by a
number of thin metal sheets or tissues K or cross bars or pins. The active
substance that is to say any suitable metallic oxide is placed in the compartments
or divisions and the elements so formed by the combination of two and two or a
greater number of rows are connected with each other so as to constitute an
accumulating battery of the requisite force.
Figures 9 and 10 are enlarged front and side portions of the same, X being a
central division which may be dispensed with.
In figures 11 and 12 the electrodes consist also of cellular elements forming a
series of chambers or pockets K like a cartridge box the component parts of which
serve to conduct the electricity and to propogate it into the oxidised metal with
which the cells or tubes or cellular box is filled. It suffices to observe a good
relation between the conducting surfaces and the mass of oxide in contact with
them in order to obtain a considerable accumulation of electric energy. The
component tubes or cells may have a circular square polygonal or any other section
and may consist of one block or of a large number of superposed small tubes either
of round oval oblong or polygonal section or formed of thin lead sheets rolled
together in the manner of a spiral and the accumulator thus obtained may
operate or act in acidulated water or in any oxidisel solution whatever or in any
suitable capillary paste or porous mass according to the nature of the electrodes
and the substances to be transformed or decomposed.
As regards the distribution of the electricity accumulated in my improved
secondary battery the same may take place directly in the usual manner or by
first allowing the current to pass through any suitable distributor consisting of
one or more elements of an ordinary surface condenser. Or a uniform distribution
of the accumulated electricity may be effected by the combination of the charged
accumulators with a system of variable condensing surfaces: For this purpose any ·
number of elements (one or more) of an ordinary surface condenser are rendered
cylindrical or developed in a manner to occupy as little space as possible. The
cylinder is closed with two covers forming commutators intended to charge the
distributor in tension or quantity and it is provided with any number of collecting
stops of variable diameter and resistance according to requirements. The elements
of the distributor consist of a thickness of copper covered by an insulating cloth on
which is adapted a tin sheet. A number of those elements may follow each other
and in this case they are preferably separated by a gutta percha band or any other
insulating substance The whole is protected inside and outside by a coating or
covering of caoutchouc or equivalent matter. The tendency of the two currents
(positive and negative) to unite through the insulating cloth neutralises their
tendency to escape on the surface and consequently a condenser is obtained having
a uniform tension on its whole length hence the electricity may be drawn off from
the stops in quantity proportional to their section and conductibility. The
collecting stops are constructed and arranged so as to insulate the two electricities
and to draw off the latter in quantity or tension by simply introducing them more
or less so as to place them in contact with one or more elements of the condenser.
To this end the stop is divided into two parts one of which receives the electricity
of the tin sheet whilst the other is in electrical communication with the copper
plate. In order to ensure good contact the tubes as well as the thicknesses of
copper are bent up towards the inside of the stop holes. The covers or lids are
arranged so as to be connected with any number of conducting wires which may
communicate with each other by one two or more wires with one or more surfaces
of the same name newly charged accumulators being always connected when the
others are exhausted.
The very simple and easy operation of the commutators and the stops entirely
regulate the regimen of the condensation and distribution of the electricity
generated either by a secondary battery or directly by a machine and this mode of

page_text: condensing may be also utilized for the canalization of the electricity at greater
or less distances.
.
$
I
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
• recited Letters Patent is:-
The construction and use of secondary batteries for the accumulation of electricity
wherein the oxidised matter or paste is placed in a series of supporting and
retaining cavities formed by means of open metallic work or nets which are united
with each other by intermediate conducting pins bars nets or sheets or by means
of corrugated or mammillary sheets and cross pins connected with each other by
retaining wires or nets or by a series of superposed, small tubes or cells presenting
the appearance of cartridge boxes and giving rise to local reactions in each cell so
as to constitute electrodes having a large number of contact surfaces and yet of
very light weight capable of supporting retaining and surrounding the oxidised
mass, of preventing the latter from collapsing or flowing without requiring the
interposition of resisting diaphragms and offering a powerful canalization for the
effects of polarization substantially as and for the purpose herein before described
and illustrated by the annexed sheet of drawings.
.
In 'witness whereof I the said Leon Henri Mathieu Somzée have to this my
specification set my hand and seal this eleventh day of January in the
year of our. Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty three.