Improvements in Primary Voltaic or Galvanic Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1899
Improvements in Primary Voltaic or Galvanic Batteries.
We, PIERRE LAFARGUE, of Allée Dauphine, Tonneins, Lot et Garonne, in the
Republic of France, Modeller, and EDOUARD DROUET, of No. 60, George Street,
Balsall Heath, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchant, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The said improvements consist in the construction and arrangement of the parts
hereinafter described of primary voltaic or galvanic batteries as well as in the
materials employed in working the said batteries.
We will describe a single cell made according to the said invention.
In the interior of a glass or carthenware vessel we place a plate of zinc bent into
a tubular shape having a metallic strip preferably of copper rivetted or soldered
thereto the said metallic strip and its junction with the zinc being at a higher level
than the exciting liquid of the battery. The said zinc is amalgamated. Within
the said hollow cylinder of zinc is a porous vessel having in its axis a tube of carbon.
The said carbon tube has a series of holes or perforations and has near its top a
ring or collar which fits the porous vessel and preserves the axial position of the
carbon tube. The space between the carbon tube and the porous vessel is filled
with fragments of gas retort carbon. At or about the middle of the carbon tube is
a perforated diaphragm of carbon and that portion of the carbon tube below the
said perforated diaphragm is also filled with fragments of gas retort carbon. The
bottom edge of the open carbon tube is notched or scolloped so as to provide a free
communication between the interior and exterior of the said carbon tube. In the
upper part of the carbon tube and in its axis is fixed a vertical plate of carbon its
top projecting above the top of the said carbon tube. This carbon plate is fixed in
position in the carbon tube by a carbon wedge. A binding screw of the ordinary
construction is fixed to the said vertical carbon plate and a similar binding screw
may be connected to the copper strip attached to the zinc plate.
In order to put the cell in action the outer vessel is nearly filled with dilute
sulphuric acid composed preferably of one volume of sulphuric acid to eight volumes
of water. The porous vessel is nearly filled with commercial nitric acid and on the
perforated diaphragm in the perforated carbon tube, chlorate of potash is placed in
the proportion of one part by weight of chlorate of potash to eight parts by weight
of nitric acid. Wires connected to the two binding screws yield a strong electric
current when the said wires are connected by a metallic connection or by an
electrolyte.
Any number of cells made according to the said invention may be connected
either in parallel or in series in the usual way according to the nature of the electric
current required.
Dated this Eleventh day of March 1898.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Primary Voltaic or Galvanic Batteries.
We, PIERRE LAFARGUE, of Allée Dauphine, Tonneins, Lot et Garonne in the
Republic of France, Modeller, and EDOUARD DROUET, of No. 60, George Street,
Balsall Heath, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchant, do hereby
declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The said improvements consist in the construction and arrangement of the parts
hereinafter described of primary voltaic or galvanic batteries as well as in the
materials employed in working the said batteries.
We will describe a single cell made according to the said invention.
In the interior of a vessel of glass or other non-porous material we place a plate
of zinc bent into a tubular or other shape having a metallic strip preferably of
copper rivetted or soldered thereto, the said metallic strip and its junction with the
zinc being at a higher level than the exciting liquid of the battery. Instead of
employing a copper strip the zinc itself may extend to an equivalent height. The
said zinc is amalgamated.
Within the said hollow cylinder of zinc is a porous vessel having in its axis a
tube of carbon. The said carbon tube has a series of holes or perforations and has
near its top a ring or collar which fits the porous vessel and preserves the axial
position of the carbon tube. The space between the carbon tube and the porous
vessel is filled with fragments of gas retort carbon. At or about the middle of the
carbon tube is a perforated diaphragm of carbon and that portion of the carbon tube
below the said perforated diaphragm is also filled with fragments of gas retort
carbon. The bottom edge of the open carbon tube is notched or scolloped so as
to provide a free communication between the interior and exterior of the said
carbon tube. In the upper part of the carbon tube and in its axis is fixed a vertical
plate of carbon preferably of a wedge shape its top projecting above the top of the
said carbon tube. This wedge shape carbon plate is fixed in position in the carbon
tube by a carbon wedge. A binding screw of the ordinary construction is fixed to
the said vertical carbon plate and a similar binding screw may be connected to the
copper strip attached to the zinc plate or to the prolongation of the zinc plate.
In order to put the cell in action the outer vessel is nearly filled with dilute
sulphuric acid composed preferably of one volume of commercial sulphuric acid to
eight volumes of water. The porous vessel is partially filled with commercial nitric
acid previous to the introduction of which chlorate of potash is placed on the
perforated diaphragm in the perforated carbon tube the chlorate of potash being in
the proportion of one part by weight of chlorate of potash to eight parts by weight
of nitric acid. Wires connected to the two binding screws yield a strong electric
current when the said wires are connected by a metallic connection or by an
electrolyte.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in perspective one cell of a
primary voltaic battery constructed according to the said invertion and Figure 2 is
a plan; Figure 3 is a vertical section and Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the
same.
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are some of the parts of the cell detached.
Figures 9 to 14 both inclusive represent a slightly modified form of cell hereinafter
particularly described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.

page_text: We will first describe the arrangement Figures 1 to 8 both inclusive.
I
a is the outer vessel of glass or other non-porous material and b is the inner vessel
of porous material (shown separately in Figure 5). Around the said porous vessel b
is arranged a tube of amalgamated zinc c, shown separately in elevation in
Figure 6 and plan in Figure 7, the said zinc tube c being provided with a metallic
strip or terminal 7 and within the said inner vessel b is a perforated tube of carbon d,
shown separately in elevation in Figure 8. The space between the porous vessel b
and the tube of carbon d is filled with granulated or crushed carbon (preferably gas
retort carbon) and the said carbon tube is fixed in place by a ring or flange d
which is preferably connected to the porous vessel b at or near its top. The
interior of the said carbon tube d is also filled with granulated or crushed carbon
to about one half its height, the last named granulated or crushed carbon being
kept in place by a perforated diaphragm occupying the middle portion of the
cylinder d. In the top of the porous vessel is a series of holes 62 (see Figure 5)
to facilitate the emptying of the said vessel of liquid. To the zinc tube c and to a
carbon plate fixed in the top of the carbon tube d by a carbon wedge f the
terminals g, h of the cell are respectively fixed. The carbon plate e may be
dispensed with in which case the drip is connected direct to the carbon tube d.
In the outer vessel a dilute sulphuric acid is poured and the carbon cylinder is
partially filled with nitric acid, chlorate of potash having been previously placed
on the perforated diaphragm d' the chlorate of potash being in the proportion of
one part by weight of chlorate of potash to eight parts by weight of nitric acid.
When the terminals of the battery are connected the said cell yields a strong
current of electricity which is maintained constant for several hours and the
objectionable nitrous fumes emitted by batteries of the ordinary construction in
which nitric acid is employed are to a great extent suppressed.
The modified cell Figures 9 to 14 both inclusive differs more in shape than in
construction from that of the cell Figures 1 to 8. The carbon element consists of
a rod of an oblong figure in cross section retained in its axial position by a
ring ; on either side of the rod d are other carbon rods d', d' the space between
the said rods, d d and the porous pot b being filled with granulated or crushed
carbon. In the top of the middle rod d³ are inclined holes or passages d³, d³ by
which the porous pot is filled with the nitric acid and by which the chlorate of potash
is introduced into the cell.
Where the battery is to be used on a carriage or vehicle one of the holes d5 is
temporarily closed and the other hole has a fine glass tube inserted in it for the
escape of the nitrous fumes. The middle hole may have a metallic connection
screwed into it for the purpose of leading off the current.
The parts of this cell which we have not described vary only in shape from the
corresponding parts marked with the same letters of reference in the cell Figures 1
to 8.
The parts of the cell may be varied in size and shape to suit the various
requirements to which the batteries may be put.
Any number of cells made according to the said invention may be connected
either in parallel or in series in the usual way according to the nature of the electric
current required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as the said invention :--
A primary voltaic or galvanic battery each of the cells of which consists of the
following combination of parts, namely, an outer vessel of glass or other non-
porous material and an inner porous vessel, a hollow cylinder of amalgamated zinc
between the porous vessel and the interior of the outer vessel and a perforated tube
of carbon or bars of carbon tixed axially within the porous vessel the space between
the perforated tube of carbon or bars of carbon and the porous vessel being filled
with granulated or crushed carbon the said perforated carbon tube when a carbon

page_text: tube is employed being half filled or about half filled with granulated or crushed
carbon which is kept in place by a perforated diaphragm and the use in a cell of
the said construction of dilute sulphuric acid in the outer vessel and chlorate of
potash and nitric acid in the inner vessel substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twenty-sixth day of November 1898.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.