Improvements in and relating to Electric Batteries.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1693-Accepted, 24th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electric Batteries.
I, DAVID FEDERMAN, of Lerma (Alessandria), in the Kingdom of Italy,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to electric batteries and comprises means for causing the
battery to produce its own depolarizer, thus enabling its constancy to be preserved
as long as this production lasts. For this purpose it suffices to bring any oxidizable
metal in presence of dilute sulphuric acid in contact with air.
Suppose I use cuttings or small pieces of lead. As soon as I cause acidulated
water to fall drop by drop upon the metal, complex products of hydrate, oxide,
sulphate and the like will be formed at the same time as peroxide of hydrogen.
These various products, carried away by the liquor into the battery, give rise
therein to chemical reactions which will maintain the discharge constant.
I may likewise employ any other oxidizable metal, which will produce the same
effects; and the reactions to be obtained will sometimes be facilitated by the
previous amalgamation of the metal.
Having thus set forth the principle on which my invention is based I will
describe the system of mounting which I have devised for automatically producing
the depolarizer of the battery.
The battery may be composed of any number of elements or arranged in any
suitable manner in accordance with the principles of the continuity of flow of the
liquor and the automatic depolarization, which are the essential features of my
invention.
In one arrangement the battery is mounted in troughs and on steps, although each
element may be insulated by diaphragms according to requirements.
A plate of zinc is placed in the interior of a carbon consisting of a single
U shaped piece, or of three parts connected with each other and presenting
this U shape. The carbons are very close to the zincs so as to lessen as much as
possible the internal resistance of the battery. At the front of the element is a
Zshaped siphon extending from the bottom of the element up to within three centi-
metres below the edge of the vessel. At the rear part is a funnel into which
cuttings or small pieces of metal are thrown. Each clement is constructed for
receiving the liquor in the funnel and for discharging it through the siphon.
It should be remarked that the funnel and siphon aid also in the depolarization.
In fact the liquor which flows from the funnel drops into the element and produces
whirls, while the siphon, as it draws the liquid, establishes therein a current between
the zines and carbons. The elements are connected with each other on the same
step, then one step with the other either for quantity or for tension according to
requirements and in the ordinary manner by conductors.
Thus mounted the battery is charged by pouring into the reservoir acidulated
water (5 per cent. of sulphuric acid) which through the properly adjusted lower
cock falls underneath the reservoir into a channel provided with as many adjutages
or outlets as there are elements in a row. In this manner the liquid is distributed
very equally between all the elements, falling drop by drop upon the metal which
is in the funnels of the first row. There it creates the products which it carries
away into the element, then passes through the siphon in order to recommence the
same work in the element which succeeds it, and so forth. The battery may be
formed of a variable number of elements, either in steps or lengthwise according
to the space at disposal and the power required. The liquor which leaves the last
elements falls into a channel which conducts it either to a lower reservoir in order
to be utilized again, or to the drain if it is exhausted.

page_text: This battery realizes the following advantages
1. It may remain for several weeks without requiring to be dismounted, and
operates without interruption as long as the outflow of the liquor takes place.
2. It does not produce any pernicious emanation.
3. Its manipulation may be entrusted to inexperienced persons.
4. It has a greater constancy than any other battery without any necessity for
being looked after.
5. Its cost of maintenance is almost nil, for beyond the wear of the zincs which
is very small the only expense consists in sulphuric acid, which is employed only at
the rate of 5 per cent. of the discharge water. Twenty front elements take from
4 to 5 litres of liquor per hour and the same liquor may serve several times.
6. This battery is adaped for all purposes such as lighting, heating, motive power,
galvanoplastics, telegraphy and the like.
Dated this 25th day of August 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electric Batteries.
I, DAVID FEDERMAN, of Lerma, (Alessandria), in the Kingdom of Italy, Civil
Engineer, 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 :--
My invention relates to electric batteries and comprises means for causing the
battery to produce its own depolarizer, thus enabling its constancy to be preserved
as long as this production lasts.
To this end the invention consists in the mode of producing the depolarizing
agent and in the construction of the generator, as will be hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a generator of electricity embodying my
improvements, portions thereof being broken away for the purpose of illustrating
the feed funnels.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same also with some of the parts broken
away
Figure 3 is a vertical section of one of the cells, and
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the same each showing one of the elements.
In carrying out my invention I form the depolarizing agent. by means of any
suitable metal that is oxidizable in the presence of an exciting agent when exposed
to the action of air, whereby products are formed which when carried by the
exciting agent into the generator will produce chemical reactions resulting in a
constant production of electricity.
Thus, for example, if comminuted amalgamated lead is used and decomposed by
the exciting agent, as sulphuric acid, for instance in the presence of atmospheric
air, chemical products will be obtained which when carried by and with the exciting
agent into the generator cells and brought in contact with the clements thereof will
result in chemical reactions that will ensure a constant production of electricity.
The amalgamation of the metal facilitates the reactions for the lead as for other
metals.
The generator itself may be of any desired construction and composed of any
desired number of elements arranged in any suitable manner in accordance with the
principles of the continuity of flow of the liquor and the automatic depolarization
which are the essential features of my invention.
In one arrangement the battery is mounted in a trough and on steps, although
cach clement may be insulated according to requirements.

page_text: A plate of zinc A is placed in the interior of a carbon consisting of a single
U-shaped piece B, or of three parts connected with each other and presenting
this U shape. The carbons are very close to the zincs so as to lessen, as much as
possible, the internal resistance of the battery. At the front of the element is a
Z shaped siphon C extending from the bottom of the element up to within
three centimetres of the top edge of the vessel. At the rear part is a funnel D into
which cuttings or small pieces of metal are thrown. Each element is constructed
for receiving the liquor in the funnel and for discharging it through the siphon.
It should be remarked that the funnel and siphon aid also in the depolarization.
In fact the liquor which flows from the funnel drops into the element and produces
whirls, while the siphon, as it draws the liquid, establishes therein a current between
the zinc and carbou.
The clements on the same step are connected with each other, then one step with
the other, either in quantity or for tension according to requirements, and in the
ordinary manner by means of conductors.
Thus mounted the battery is charged by pouring into the reservoir E acidulated
water containing 5 per cent. of acid, which through the properly adjusted lower
cock falls underneath the reservoir into a channel or trough F provided with as
many outlets H as there are elements in a row. In this manner the liquid is
distributed very equally between all the elements, falling drop by drop upon the
metal which is in the funnels of the first row. Here it creates the products
which it carries away into the element, then passes through the siphon in order to
recommence the same work in the element which succeeds it, and so forth. The
liquor which leaves the last elements falls into a channel or trough G which con-
ducts it either to a lower reservoir in order to be utilized again, or to the drain if it
is exhausted.
The improved battery realizes the following advantages
1. It may remain for several months without requiring to be dismounted, and
operates without interruption as long as the outflow of the liquor takes place.
2. It does not produce any pernicious emanation.
3. Its manipulation may be entrusted to inexperienced persons.
4. It has a greater constancy than any other battery without the necessity of
being looked after.
5. Its cost of maintenance is almost null, for beyond the wear of the zincs,
which is very small, the only expense consists in acid which is employed only at
the rate of 5 per cent. of the discharged water. Twenty front elements take from
4 to 5 litres of liquor per hour and the same liquor may serve several times.
6. This battery is adapted for all purposes such as lighting, heating, motive
power, galvanoplastics, telegraphy and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The method of continuously producing a depolarizing agent for electric
generators, which consists in causing the exciting fluid to continuously flow to and
through the generator cells, and bringing said exciting fluid before it enters said
cells in contact with an oxidizable metal amalgamated or not in the presence of
atmospheric air.
2. An electric battery comprising one or more elements or cells, a reservoir for
the exciting fluid, means for conducting the said fluid to and exhausting the same
from the elements so as to produce a continuous circulation, and a holder or funnel
open to the atmospheric air interposed between the element and the conduit that
supplies the exciting fluid to said element, and the oxidizable metals under the
action of the exciting fluid in the presence of atmospheric air for the purpose set
forth.
3. A generator of electricity composed of a plurality of elements arranged step
wise or superposed, a reservoir for the exciting fluid above the upper elements,

page_text: valved conduits for conducting the exciting fluid from the reservoir to the upper
elements, a discharge conduit leading from the bottom of one element to the top
of an element below the same, a holder or funnel for each element, said funnel
being arranged to receive the exciting fluid from the reservoir or from the
discharge conduit of an clement above the same, oxidizable metals under the action
of exciting fluid in the presence of atmospheric air contained in said funnel, and a
collecting vessel for collecting the fluid discharged from the lowermost element, for
the purpose set forth.
Dated this 18th day of May 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.