IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Stephen Henry Emmens and
Seacome Mason at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th
September 1882.
STEPHEN HENRY EMMENS, Actuary, and SEACOME MASON, Optician, both of
Soho Square, in the County of Middlesex, " IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC
BATTERIES"
Our invention relates to Galvanic batteries containing fluid electrolytes, and it is
designed to obviate polarisation, and to render the current constant and of long
duration.
We accomplish our object by causing the points of contact between the
electrodes and fluids to be changed perpetually, or at suitable intervals, but in such
a manner that the total operative surface may remain of constant magnitude.
The devices we employ may be of various construction. They are made to
impart either a rotatory or a reciprocating motion to the electrodes or fluids, or to
both, though conveniently in such a manner as to cause an alternate or continuous
emerging or submerging movement of the electrodes. This is conveniently effected
by mounting the electrodes upon an axis made to revolve by the battery power or
by manual or mechanical means, the electrodes being submerged through half or
part of a revolution. The electrodes in this case may be fitted on the axis in the
form of discs or on arins projecting therefrom, and at any suitable angle thereto;
they may, however, be in the form of a cylindrical cage of longitudinal electrodes,
or one electrode may be on the axis and surrounded by the other.
A second modification is where the electrodes are columnar or cylindrical, and in
this case we rotate the electrodes or cells or both (in contrary directions) in
horizontal plane on a vertical axis, no emergence taking place.
A third modification is where we employ reciprocating in place of rotatory
motion, and in this case we prefer to attach the electrodes to cross bars oscillating
on an axis so that as one electrode emerges, another is submerged to an equal
extent We may however communicate motion only to the cell, or both the cell
and the electrodes may be in motion in opposite directions.
In any modification of our device the electrodes may be coupled in series or
multiple are as desired by suitable arrangements on the axis.

page_text: In order that the nature of our invention may be more clearly understood, we
now proceed to specify, by way of example, an application of one of its forms to a
bichromate battery.
We arrange the cells side by side, as customary, and above them we place an
axis revolving in bearings at each end of the row. On this axis we mount circular
plates of carbon and zinc properly insulated, in such a manner that a zinc
plate between a pair of carbon plates may dip into each cell. These plates, which
constitute the electrodes, may be coupled up in series or in multiple arc along the
axis, which must be suitably divided by insulating material, and the current is
collected therefrom at the ends or by brush or roller contacts Rotation is
imparted to the axis by suitable driving connections, actuated by a portion of the
current from the battery or by other convenient source of power.
The electrodes being partially immersed in the bichromate solution in the cells
always retain the same operative surface, while by means of the constant change of
position and agitation of the fluid, no injurious polarization is set up and a steady
current of long duration is obtained.