Apparatus for Supplying Depolarising or other Liquids to a Series of Electric Batteries..
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Mar., 1892-4ccepted, 9th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Supplying Depolarising or other Liquids to a Series
of Electric Batteries..
1, VICTOR JEANTY, Merchant, of 19 Rue Turgot, Paris, France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The apparatus which I have devised is intended to supply depolarising or other
liquids to a series of electric batteries, with a view of keeping the liquid in an
active state by introducing fresh liquid and by eliminating the exhausted liquid.
The renewal takes place proportionately to the consumption. The supply can be
regulated by means of special faucets or delivery taps.
Broadly speaking, the apparatus is composed of a main closed vessel containing
the liquid to be supplied to the series of batteries, and of a distributing open vessel
placed beneath the former and connected therewith by a first pipe through which
the liquid descends from the upper to the lower vessel and by a second pipe which
determines the flow of the liquid intermittently.
Through the bottom of the distributing vessel are fitted short pipes by each
of which the liquid is distributed to the several elements of the battery, placed
below.
The liquid contained in the upper vessel is conveyed intermittently to the
distributing vessel from which it overflows through the short pipes to the respective
elements. The liquid conveyed to the separate elements is discharged therein at
the bottom by means of a vertical pipe contained in the elements, and the fresh
liquid having a greater specific gravity settles at the bottom whilst, the exhausted
liquid which is lighter rises to the top, and is conducted by an overflow pipe to a
collector, and then goes to waste.
According to another method of carrying out my apparatus, 1 place the elements
on a level with the distributing vessel, instead of placing them underneath as in
the preceding arrangement, and instead of using short pipes through which the
liquid overflows from the distributing vessel into the separate elements, I lead from
the bottom of the distributing vessel a main supply pipe having as many auxiliary
pipes as there are elements in the battery; the depolarising liquid is thus conveyed
by gravity to the supply pipe and auxiliary pipes, and then through and into the
bottom of each element. Each element is provided as in the previous arrangement
with overflow pipes and the exhausted liquid discharged by the elements is led to
waste.
1 have likewise devised a special construction of faucet or tap, particularly
intended to be used instead of the short pipes hereinbefore mentioned as fitted in
the bottom of the first mentioned arrangement of apparatus. The said faucet or
tap is mainly formed of a vertical pipe which is capable of being raised or lowered
so as to place its upper aperture (the overflow) at a more or less high level in the
distributing vessel, with a view of regulating the quantity of liquid distributed to
the several elements.
Deted his 8th day at Luno 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Supplying Depolarising or other Liquids to a Series
of Electric Batteries.
I, VICTOR JEANTY, of 19, Rue Turgot, Paris, France, Merchant, 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:―
The apparatus which I have devised is intended to supply depolarising or other
liquids to a series of electric batteries, with a view of keeping the said liquid in a
constant active state by introducing fresh liquid and by eliminating the exhausted
waste liquid. The operation of renewing the liquid is caused to take place
automatically as the liquid becomes exhausted, the renewal being effected in
proportion to the consumption.
In the aruexed drawings, I have shown various arrangements by which my
invention can be carried out.
One main arrangement consists in an apparatus to which the depolarising liquid
is supplied ready to be fed to the battery or batteries. Another arrangement
consists in an apparatus to which is supplied the salt to be dissolved so as to form
the depolarising liquid. In the former arrangement, the liquid is supplied in a
regular predetermined quantity to the batteries, whilst in the latter, I enable the
depolarising liquid itself, as it becomes weak, to cause a feeding action to take
place automatically.
Fig. 1 shows an arrangement to which the depolarising liquid is supplied ready
to be fed to the batteries.
Fig. 2 is a modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.
Figs. 3, 4, 5 & 6 show various constructions of taps or faucets used with. the
apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1.
Figs. 7, 8, 9 & 10 show various arrangements of apparatus which are supplied
with the salt to be dissolved so as to form the depolarising liquid according to the
requirements of the batteries, instead of supplying the depolarising liquid ready to
be fed.
Referring to Figure 1, the apparatus is composed of a closed vessel 1 of any
suitable substance which will not corrode under the action of the liquids to be fed ;
it is provided with a valve 2 by which it can be filled with the liquid, also with a
pipe 3 having a valve 4 for leading the liquid to an open reservoir 5 and also with
an air pipe 6 the lower end of which is cut off on an incline and dips slightly into
the reservoir 5. The open reservoir 5 has a series of regulating taps 7, 7, 7 through
which the liquid overflows and drops into the battery or batteries 8, 8, 8.
The regulating taps 7, 7, 7 are so devised as to cause an overflow which can
vary from the quantity of a flow drop by drop to the passage of the liquid
through the whole section of the taps or tubes, without producing any narrowing.
of the liquid vein, owing to an opening which would be rendered narrow and
which might become clogged by the pressure of some solid foreign body in the
liquid.
The regulating taps 7, 7, 7 may be devised in various ways, as shown in the
modifications illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5 & 6.
In Fig. 3, the tap is composed of a tube 9 made of any suitable hard substance
which will not be attacked by the liquid; at the bottom, it is cut off on an incline
and at the top is formed a V-shaped notch, not shewn, or the notch may be
suppressed and an incline 10 be made, as at the top. Upon the tube 9 is screwed
or otherwise fastened a knob 11 passing through a helicoidal slot 12 formed in a
guiding bush 13, the tube sliding in the bush without any noticeable friction. The
bush 13 has a shoulder 14 and is screwthreaded for receiving a nut 15 which

page_text: presses against the bottom wall 16 of the lower reservoir 5, a tight joint being
obtained by a rubber washer 17 placed upon the shoulder 14. The nut 15 is
screwthreaded externally to receive an outer nut 18 which presses an elastic
washer 19 and forms a tight joint around the tube 9, so as to prevent the liquid
contained in the lower reservoir 5 from passing between the tube and the bush 13,
whilst at the same time producing but slight friction around the said tube.
The operation is as follows: The valve 4 is closed, the valve 2 is opened and the
closed vessel or upper reservoir 1 is filled with the prepared depolarising liquid,
after which the valve 2 is closed. The taps 7 are then placed so that the lower
part of the ineline 10 Fig. 3 is lower than the upper part of the incline at the
bottom of the tube 6, Fig. 1 and the valve 4 is opened. Air enters the closed
vessel 1 by the pipe 6 and the liquid flows down the pipe 3. As the liquid rises in
the lower reservoir 5, it reaches the lower part of the incline 10 at the end of the
tubes 7 and overflows through the latter and drops into the funnels 20, 20, 20;
the liquid fills the various batteries 8, 8, 8 and any excess escapes through
overflows 21, 21, 21, into a collecting pipe 22 from which it is conveyed away by
a waste pipe 23. At this moment, by turning the knob 11 Fig. 3, the tube 9 can
be adjusted so as to regulate the flow of liquid. The liquid rises in the reservoir 5
and soon goes beyond the upper part of the incline at the bottom of 6, and there-
upon it rises in the said pipe 6 until it reaches the level of the liquid in the
vessel 1. As air can no longer enter the vessel 1, the flow of liquid through the
pipe 3 stops and the liquid ceases to rise into 5; the tubes 9' are then adjusted as
to height so as to allow the liquid to flow drop by drop or in a thin film or
otherwise, into the batteries 8. The level of the liquid in 5 then falls below the
upper part of the inclined end of 6 and one or more bubbles of air will enter the
pipe 6, pass through the liquid contained in the latter and reach the vessel 1,
whereby the pressure of air therein will slightly increase and the liquid will flow
down through 3 and re-establish the level in 5. This action takes place in a
regular manner; the level in 5 will be practically constant and the. flow of liquid
through the batteries 8 will be regular.
The liquid might become weak in a non-uniform degree in the various batteries S,
the liquid of one battery becoming weak sooner than that in another, whereby
injurious modifications would result in the constancy of the electric current. In
order to obviate this, instead of allowing the liquid to drop from the reservoir 5
through the taps 7 direct into the batteries 8, I apply the modification shown in
Fig. 2.
In this modification, I place the reservoir 5 on a level with the batteries 8 and I
cause all the batteries to communicate with the reservoir by a main 24 and by
separate pipes 25 made of any suitable insulating material. This arrangement
forms a series of communicating vases in which the liquid will rise up to the level
of the incline at the bottom of the air pipe 6. As in the former arrangement, the
batteries 8 each have an overflow 21 with a collecting pipe 22 and a waste pipe 23.
In this manner, the liquid remains as rich in one battery as in the other, because
if in one battery the liquid should become weak, it decreases in density and therefore
tends to rise above the constant level in 5; it then escapes at the overflow 21 and
is again replaced by new liquid.
The taps shown in Figs. 4, 5 & 6 are modifications of the one shown in Fig. 3,
and are intended for use when the tap has to be placed in a vertical wall 16 of a
reservoir 5 or when a saline liquid is employed. In the latter case, salt might
settle down in the tap, clog it if it were not filled with liquid and prevent
evaporation of the liquid in the tap.
In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the knob 11 is guided by a circular slot
instead of the helicoidal slot 12 shown in Fig. 3 and the end of the tube 9 which is
inside the reservoir 5 is cut normally; by rotating the tube 9 by means of the
knob 11, it can be made to dip more or less into the depolarising liquid, so as to
vary the flow of the liquid through the tube. In the modifications shown in
Figs. 5 & 6, the tube 9 is bent in the shape of a siphon, one end of which dips

page_text: constantly into the liquid and prevents the passage of air, as well as the liquid from
evaporating in the tube and also obviating any deposit of salts, which would finally
clog the tube 9.
Another main arrangement consists in an apparatus which is supplied with the
salt to be dissolved, instead of being supplied with the depolarising liquid ready
prepared for feeding the batteries.
In Fig. 7, 8 is the battery and 5" is the reservoir which supplies the battery.
The reservoir 5 is about half filled with the salt, say salt of copper, which dissolves
and constitutes the depolarising liquid for the battery. 26 is a funnel which is
likewise filled with a column of the salt and the lower open end of which rests upon
the salt contained in the reservoir 5". Towards the bottom of the latter is a
perforated diaphragm 27. 28 is a pipe which places the reservior 5ª in communi-
cation with the battery 8. There may be as many reservoirs 5ª as there are
batteries 8 instead of having but one reservoir common to a number of batteries,
as in the arrangements illustrated in Figs. 1 & 2, 5 is the feeding reservoir
provided with its adjustable tap 7 which may be similar to any one of the taps
shown in Figs. 3, 4; 5 & 6. In this case, the liquid contained in this reservoir 5 is
simply pure water instead of prepared depolarising liquid; the water Hows
regularly in a predetermined quantity, into the reservoir 5" and any excess of the
water fed thereto overflows at 29. The relative height of the columns of liquid
contained in 8 and in 5" is reversely proportionate to their density; the level of
the liquid in 8 will thus be slightly lower than that in 5º. The latter is provided
with the overflow 29, which is placed at a height which the liquid reaches in 5"
when in the battery 8 the level of the saturated solution is somewhat below the
outflow 30, so that all the pure water which will continue to be supplied by the
tap 7 will flow away at 29 and prevent the level of the liquid in 8 from rising, thus
obviating any escape of the saturated liquid of the battery at 30. When the
liquid in the battery 8 becomes weak, two separate layers will be formed in the
same one will be saturated in almost its entire height and another will be mainly
composed of waste products which will be injurious to the proper action of the
battery the latter layer being the lightest, it will assume a position at the
surface. As the combined layers are less dense than the completely saturated
solution in 5, they will reach a higher level in 8 whereby the liquid at the surface
will escape at 30, whilst fresh saturated liquid will be supplied from the reservoir 5*
through the pipe 28.
In practice, the escape of exhausted or waste liquid and its renewal by saturated
liquid takes place in a continuous and regular manner, proportionately to the
consumption of each of the batteries and the action is completely automatic.
Instead of causing the pure water supplied by the tap 7, to go to waste at 29, the
said waste may be led to and drop over the surface of the liquid contained in the
battery 8; in such case, the water spreads over the surface of the latter and
gradually escapes at 30 either alone or together with a portion of the waste
products or exhausted liquid of the battery, if any should have formed.
funnel 26 may be fitted to the reservoir 5" by any suitable means, such as a
support 31.
The
In Fig. 8, I have shown a modification of the contrivance shown in Fig. 7. The
modification consists in means for regulating the degree of saturation of the liquid.
Instead of placing the salt into the reservoir 5", I place it in a perforated funnel 26
which is fixed and surrounded by an adjustable sleeve 32. The salt in the water
gradually descends as it dissolves and is renewed by the salt in the column. By
adjusting the height of the sleeve 32, the length of the perforated part of the funnel
dipping into 5 can be varied, whereby the volume of salt exposed to the dissolving
action will be increased or decreased at will.
In Fig. 9, I have shown a contrivance in which the automatic feeding action for
the saturated liquid to the battery is made to be dependent upon any variation in
the density of the liquid being consumed in the battery. As soon as the density
of the active liquid decreases, a float sinks into the said liquid and causes pure

page_text: water to be supplied to the salt containing reservoir 5°. 8 is the battery and 5º. is
the reservoir containing the salt to be dissolved and then supplied to the battery:
The tap 7 and reservoir 5 supply pure water, as in Figs. 7 & 8. The pure water
drops into a funnel 33 swinging freely on an axis 34 in a suitable bracket. To the
funnel is connected a fixed rod 35, the outer end of which is pivotted to a sleeve 36
through which passes a vertical rod 37 carrying a float 38 at its lower end. The
height of the float is adjusted so that it occupies about the position shown in the
figure, in which it is supposed that the active liquid contained in the battery 8 has
the required degree of strength for the normal working of the battery. 39 is a set
screw for fastening the rod 37, when adjusted. The funnel 33 is so placed that
when it is vertical, as in the drawing, it normally allows the water to drop
upon an inclined plate 40 which conveys the water to the battery S, whereas
when it is caused to oscillate, it moves and conveys the water directly to the
reservoir 5*
The operation is as follows: As long as the liquid in the battery 8 remains
sufficiently active, the float 38 assumes the normal position shown in Figure 9, and
the water received by the funnel 33 from the tap 7 flows down the inclined plate 40
into the battery. Being lighter than the saturated liquid in 8, the water flows
away at 30 from the surface of the said liquid, as previously explained. But as
soon as the liquid in the battery becomes weak, the float 38 descends and causes the
funnel 33 to oscillate, whereby the pure water is then led direct into the salt
containing reservoir 5", producing fresh saturated liquid, which is conducted to the
battery, as will be readily understood.
In Fig. 10, I have shown a modification of the contrivance illustrated in Fig. 9
In this modification, instead of employing a float which rises and falls according to
the variations in the density of the active liquid being consumed, I cause the
electric current produced by the battery to pass through a solenoid acting upon a
core which operates the funnel for distributing the pure water either to the battery
or to the reservoir. 8 is the battery, 5" the salt-containing reservoir, and 33 the
funnel which oscillates on a pivot 34 and receives the pure water from the tap 7.
41 is a solenoid and 42 a core suspended from a spring 43 attached to a
support 44 which can be adjusted by screwing or otherwise moving it in a
bracket 45. The core is connected by a link 46 to the rod 35 which is fastened to
the funnel 33.
The position in which the parts are shown is that which corresponds to a
weakening of the electric current generated by the battery, that is to say the
core 42 being less attracted by the solenoid 41 tends to descend by gravity in
opposition to the counteracting spring 43 and to cause the funnel to direct the pure
water into the reservoir 5ª. As soon however as the electric current has reassumed
its normal tension, it energizes the solenoid 41 sufficiently to fully attract the
core 42, whereby the funnel 33 oscillates and the pure water is then directed into
the battery S. It will be understood that the core 42 should be sufficiently heavy
or weighted to overcome by gravity the tension of the spring 43 when the electric
current becomes weak. The solenoid and core might be replaced by an electro-
magnet and an armature.
A modification of the contrivance shown in Fig. 10 might consist in connecting
the core 42 direct to an ordinary cock applied to the vessel 5; in such case, the
tap 7, funnel 33, bracket & rod 35 would be suppressed and the flow of water,
instead of being continuous and regular as in the device illustrated in Fig. 10,
would only take place whenever the cock would be opened by the core 42.
I may finally mention that instead of directing into the battery 8 the water
supplied from the funnel 33, the water might be led into the porous vase contained
in 8. Or the water might be divided into two streams of which one would be
mostly led into 8 and the other, at times, into the porous vase contained in 8. For
this purpose, it would merely suffice to add a second inclined plate leading to the
porous vase.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
―
1. The means for supplying a depolarising or other liquid to one or more electric
batteries, consisting:
a) Of an upper closed reservoir 1 containing the liquid to be supplied,
Of a lower distributing open reservoir 5 communicating with the upper
reservoir by means of a liquid-conveying pipe 3 and an air-pipe 6,
c) Of a series of taps 7, 7, 7, which direct the liquid from the reservoir
to the separate batteries S, S, 8, substantially as described & shown in
Fig. 1.
2. The means for supplying a depolarising or other liquid to one or more electric
"batteries, consisting:
a) Of an upper closed reservoir 1 containing the liquid to be supplied,
1) Of a lower distributing reservoir 5 communicating with the upper
reservoir 1 by means of a liquid-conveying pipe 3 and an air-pipe 6,
c) Of a main 24 which conveys the liquid to the batteries 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 by
means of separate pipes 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, substantially as described and
shown in Fig. 2.
3. In combination with the apparatus set forth in Claim 1, the distributing taps,
substantially as described & shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 & 6 respectively.
4. The means for maintaining the active liquid of a battery at a constant degree
of saturation proportionately to the consumption, consisting in utilising the
difference in height of two liquids of different density which are in equilibrium in
two communicating vases, substantially as described and shown.
5. The means for maintaining the column of salt at a constant level in a salt
reservoir 5, consisting in providing, the reservoir with a stationary funnel 26, the
lower end of which terminates on the top of the column of salt, substantially as
described and shown in Fig. 7.
6. The means for regulating the degree of saturation of the depolarising solution.
consisting in applying inside the salt-containing reservoir 5, a fixed funnel 26
closed at the bottom, provided with holes at its lower portion and encircled by an
adjustable sleeve 32, substantially as described and shown in Fig. 8.
7. The means for maintaining the active liquid in a battery at a constant degree
of saturation, proportionately to the consumption, consisting in utilising the
variations in density of the said liquid for causing a suitable mechanism to auto-
matically act and feed the said battery, substantially as described and shown.
8. The means for maintaining the active liquid in a battery at a constant degree
of saturation proportionately to the consumption, consisting in utilising a decrease
or an increase in the intensity of the electric current generated by the battery, for
causing a suitable mechanism to automatically act and regulate the feed of the said
battery, substantially as described and shown.
9. The arrangement of apparatus described and shown with reference to Fig. 7.
10. The arrangement of apparatus described and shown with reference to Fig. 8.
11. The arrangement of apparatus described and shown with reference to Fig. 9.
12. The arrangement of apparatus described and shown with reference to
Fig. 10.
Dated this 8th day of March 1895
VICTOR JEANTY,
By L. W., per F. B.