US409365A - linger - Google Patents

Description

L. MOND su o. LANGBR.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

GAS BATTERY. y No. 409,365. Patented Aug.201889.

I f ,l

/ l l l l l l,

(N0 Model.) 3 SheetS--Shee 2.

L. MOND an C. LANGBR, GAS BATTERY.

No'. 409,365. 4 Patented Aug.- 20, 1889.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

GAS BATTERY.

Patented Aug. 20

NITED rSTATES PATENT OFFICE. Y

LUDWIG MOND, OF NORTIINVICII, COUNTY OF CHESTER, AND CARL LANCER,

OF LONDON, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

GAS BATT E RY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No). 409,365, dated August 20, 1889.

Application {iledNovcmber 28, 1888. Serial No. 292,116. (No model.) Patented in England February 17, 1888, NcI 2,411; in

France October 5,1888,NO 192,342; in Italy October 13,1888,XXII, 23,948,1{LVII ,225 in Luxemburg November 28,1888,

No. 1,058; in Turkey November 28, 1888, No.130 in Belgium December 15, 1888, No. 84,102; in New South Wales January 2,1889,No.1,162; in Brazil February 1, 1889, No. 665, and in Spain February 12,1889,Nc.8,955

To aZZ whom, it may concern Bc itknown that we, LUDWIG MOND, manufacturin g chemist, of Vinnington Ilall, Northwich, in the county of Chester, and CARL lLANGER, Ph. 1)., of South Hampstead, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented'certain lnew and useful Improvements in an Apparatus for Obtaining Electricity from Gas, (for which we have received Letters Patent as follows, to wit: England, No. 2,411, (lated February 17, 1888; France, No. 192,842, dated October 5,1888; Italy, XXII, 28,948, XLVII, 225, dated October 18, 1888; Luxemburg, No. 1,058, dated November. 28, 1888; Turkey, No. 180, dated November 28, 1888; Belgium, No. 84,102, dated December 15, 1888; New South Wales, No. 1,152, date'd January 2, 1889; Brazil, No. G65, dated February 1, 1889, and Spain, No. 8,955, dated February l2, 1889,) of which the following is a specification.

` these gases-such as platinum andcarbonn' Gas-batteries have hitherto been made by bringing two gases capable of chemical action upon each other-such as hydrogen and oxygen-into contact with solid substances which have the power of absorbing or condensing and immersing these absorbing substances partly into a liquid electrolyte, which keeps the two gases separated. All these batteries have proved very ineffective and of no practical utility. In the earlier ones, in which the absorbing substance remained stationary in the liquid electrolyte, the activesurface was exceedingly small, and consequently the duty done bythe batterywas insignificant. In the later ones, inwhich the absorbingsubstance was alternately exposed to the gas and to the liquid electrolyte by moving either the forlner or the latter, the absorbing substances became covered bya film of liquid which almost destroyed their power of absorbing gases. In order to overcome both these difficulties, we abandon the use of a simple liquid electrolyte and substitute for it a solid porous substance, which we impregnate byaliquid electrolyte, so that the absorbing substance cominginto contact with it remains dry enough to retain its absorbing power for the gases to .a sufficient degree.

used for this purpose must be non-conductors of electricity. They must be unalterable by the other substances with which they come in Contact in the battery, and must be impermeable to gasesafter they have been impreg` 55 nated with the electrolyte. \`A great many substances can be used for this purpose, among which we may name paper, pasteboard, inf u-` sorial earth, sand, asbestus, clay,leather, linen,

iiannel, &c. If dry powders are used, we inclose 6o metals of the platinum group, (platinum, 7o

palladium, iridium, osmium, rhodium, ruthenium,)1nore particularly in the form of a ne powder-such as platinum-black-fare preeminently suitable; but other substances'may be used, among which we may name nely- 75 Ldivided carbon. These absorbing substances are relatively bad conduct-ors of electricity, and,in ordel to reduce the internal resistance of the battery as far as possible, we bring vthem into frequent cont-act with a good con 8o ductor to carry away the electricity formed.

This conductor must be in intimate contact with the absorbing substance; but it must neither prevent the free access of the gas to it nor the contact of the absorbing substance 85 with the electrolyte, and it must also be unalterable by the substances used or produced in the battery.' \Ve `find Very thin platinum orgold foil or leaf perforated by very numerous and very small holes, or very fine plati- '9o num or gold wire-gauze most suitable for this purpose. This metallic foil leaf or gauze we The porous substances '5o These porous substances 65 apply over the whole surface of the absorbing substance, or we apply the foil leaf or gauze to the surface of the porous substance, and put the absorbing substance on the outside of it in such a way that it iills up the holes or open spaces in the foil or gauze, and thus comes in contact with the porous substance, vor we may put the absorbing substance on both sides of the foil or gauze, or coat the foil or gauze with platinum-black or its equivalent electrolitically. Th e metallic foil or gauze is connected by convenient means to the poles of the battery. We thus obtain plates or vessels, which are fixed in gas-tight chambers provided with proper 1means of egress and ingress-for the gases to be employed. If gases are used in such a batteryesuch as hydrogen or oxygen, which, by their chemical union, produce a liquid-the action of the battery would gradually decrease on accountof the liquid formed soaking the absorbing substance employed. To avoid this, we employ one or both of the gases 'dry or hot, so that they are capable of evaporating and taking up the water or other liquid formed and pass the gases through the battery in sufficient quantity to carry od infthis wayi'n the form of vapor all the liquid produced `1n the battery. The gases, after having been deprived of the vapor so taken up by drying or cooling, may bev returned to the battery. When we employ hydrogen and atmospheric air,we find that all the water formed can be removed by simply passing an excess of air through the battery without previously drying or heating it, the heat produced in the battery Vitself assisting in carrying the water from it.

We will Inow proceed to describe several ways for carrying out our invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which" Figure l is a section of a very small battery consis-ting of a single plate, land illustrates the manner of constructing the plates. Figs. 2, 3, and '4 show a convenient form of construction for -a battery of small or moderate size, Figs. 2 and 3 being respectively sections on lines and y y, Fig. 4, and Fig. 4 being a plan with the top covering-plate removed. Figs. 5, 6,`and 7 illustrate a convenient form of construction for a large battery, Fig. 5 being a section'on line z z, Fig. 6, Fig. (i a'sectional plan on line w w, Fig. 5. and Fig. 7 an enlarged section of a portion of the battery, illustrating the method of forming the plates thereof. I Fig. 8 is the same battery shown in Figs. 5, (5,and 7, but with the addition to it of an appliance for use in changing the gas from time to time to counteract the polarization, as hereinafter described. Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive, and Fig. 8 are broken away in the center to avoid repetition in the drawings.

Referring to Figs. l to 4 for batteries of small or moderate size, we fix the porous plates M, mentioned labove-say thin plates p protected bya sheet of paper.

lgive a good result.

of earthen ware or plaster-of-paris-in a frame R, composed of a material non-cond ucting and these plates with grooves, which We fill With f an easily-fusible alloy, with a hard-setting amalgam, or with metallic wires or strips iXed in these grooves. We employ the porous substance in small plates of square shape, of about three to live centimeters each side, and in case the surface of one porous plate is not sufficient to generate the required strength of current we cement several of them in the same frame of ebonite, as shown in Fig. 4. Then the porous plates are impregnated by a liquid electrolyte, (such as dilute sulphuric acid,) and afterward theyare covered on'both sides with platinum or gold-foil m, Fig 1, which projects beyond the plates in such a way that it is in metallic connection with the conducting-strips A- 'that is to say, that thefoil 'covers the strips.

To insurethat the metallic contact .between the foil and the conducting-strips does not suifer from the oxidation of these latter, we coat the foil in the places where it covers the strips with fused paraffine or a suitable varnish. The very tinev metallic foil used conrains already many small pores or holes, and can be applied as it is;.butit is advantageous to perforate it with a very large number of verysmall holes,which can easily be done by mechanical means. The'metallic foil is put upon the porois plates and made to adhere to them by gently rubbing over its surface, Then the foil is covered with the absorbing substance, by preferencewith the platinum-black obtained by the reduction of chloride of platinum in dilute alkaline solution by means of for'mic acid. We iind a quantity of two-tenths of a gram per square decimeter of surface `to This platinum-black we form into a paste with diluted sulphuric acid, and we apply this'paste wi h a brush upon the metallic foil. Part of t platinum-black penetrates through the' hol sof the foil and is brought into contact with the porous plate, while part of it remains ont-hefoutside of the foil, where itis rapidly dried and kept dryby the gases passing through the battery, and consequently exerts upon the gases' a' very strong power ofl absorption. Between the plates thus prepared we place framesK, of india-rubber, or of another suitable substance. of the same dimensions in breadth and length as the frames R of the ebonite, so as to form narrow and gas-tight chambers G G G2, &c., between the frames of ebonite, which may be IIO IZO

arranged one above the other, as in Figs. 2 v

and 3, or side by side in such'away that att-er pressing them together with end plates E E of a stiff material and screws E w`e`obtain between every two of the eboniteplates gas? tight chambers G G2 G3, dac. These chambers areput'in communication with thegas-conducting tubes and with one another by con- `nections O H, which allow of hydrogen or its equivalent to be passed through the chambers G G3 G5, dto., and air or its equivalent through the chambers G2 Gr4 G, &c. Each plat-e forms an elementv of the battery, which can be combined at will .with the others.

Referring .to Figs. 5, 6, and 7, for the construction of large batteries, we cast frames of a suitable metal, (for example, an alloyof lead and antimony,) consisting of a broad edge R R, conducting-strips A, and lia-ps F, with the holes and channels O ll, which form the inlets and outlets for the gases'to the gas-chambers G G2 G3, dsc., or we cut suchY frames from a metallic plate of a suitable met-al. The places which later will be in contact with the electrolyte are covered w'th` an insulating-layer a, Fig. 7 impermezb/ll to and unattackable by the electrolyte, or example, a mixture of beeswax and resin or gutta-percha.) Between two such frames we insert a thin sheet S", of porous material, prepared by coating a piece of canvas or paper, or other suitable substance, of the full size of the frames, with plaster-of paris or its substitute on both sides and made impervious round the edges by impregnating it with a mixture of beeswax. and resin, or other suitable insulating substance. lVe then ll the free spaces M in the squares formed by the condueting-strips with a porous sub stance-say plaster-ot'-paris-in such away as to obtain a plate even on the outside. These plat-es are then covered with the conducting and absorbing substances fm, Fig. 7, in the same way as before described, and are united in a battery with the interposition 4of frames K, of indiarubber, pasteboard, or other suitable substance, so as to `form the gas-chambers G.

Fig. 5 shows-a transverse section (on line z z, Fig. 6) of aV battery of seven plates, and

also the method ofV connecting the gas-chambers with each other. ,Y The communications between these chambers are lmad'eby cork or rubber Washers or hollow cylinders Q. IThe iirst/ and last gaschambers are formed by placing a plated, of pasteboard or other non conducting material, ,at each side of the battery. The whole battery is now placed bee tween twp metallic plates L '-L?, Fig. 5-say of zinc-which project a certain distance beyond the plates forming the battery. All the visible parts of the frames not covered by these two zinc plates L L2 are now well coated with a mixture of beeswax and resin or other suitable varnish, and the space V left between the two zinc plates is then filled up with plaster-of-paris, so as to obtain a solid block with even surfaces. Atterthe plasterof-paris has been allowed to set and dry, we cover it with the zinc plates L3 L4 L5 L, and solder all the zinc plates together, so as to obtain one solid compact block, with no opening into it, except the exits and entrances O Il for the two gases. 1

The chemical action in the battery consists of the decomposition and new formation of the electrolyte. It' we employ, for instance, dilute sulphuric acid,`this will be decomposed into ll, and S04. 'lhehydrogen is carried by the current to the oxygen side and there combines with it by the aid of the platiuum-blackf under the formation of water.- The S()4 is carried toward the hydrogenside and combines with this again, forming sulphuric acid. By this action an increasing accumulation of the sulphuric acid on the hydrogen side takes place, and an accumulation of water on the oxygen side, which produces a polarization, causing a diminution of the electro-motive torce ot" the battery. To eounteract this polarization, we change the gasesfrom time to tim e-forinstance, say once an hourso that the hydrogen is passed through the chambers previously lled with oxygen, and vice versa. lly this means the sulph uric acid accumulated on` one side of the element is gradually taken back and then accumulated on the other. side, and so on. The changing of the gases can be carried out by any suitable means, either in one chamber at a time or through the whole battery at once; or the applianceshown in Fig. 8 may be employed, which, as will be seen, is simply a four-way cock. By moving the handle shown in dotted lines so that the plug of the cock takes a po siti'on at right angles to that shown in the drawings the oxygen will then pass through the chambers through which the hydrogen is passing, while the hydrogen will pass through those through which the oxygen has been passing.

These gas-batteries enable us to produce ICO IOS

IloA

electricity at a very low cost, by using on the one side atmospheric air, on the other side the hydrogenic gases produced by the action of steam upon incandescent coke, anthracite, iron, dac., and by theimperfect combustion of coal, coke, or other carbonaceous substance by a mixture of air and steam. These gases,

however, must be very carefully purified and gases and substances mentioned in this specivery large number of differentsubstances can be employed to attain our end. No claim is made herein to the method ofobtaining electricity from gas, as that forms the subject-matter of an application led by tially as described.

us March 18, 1889, Serial No. 803,742,

' We claim. as our invention- 1. In a gasbattery, a solid porous non-con ducting substance impregnated with an elec trolyte liquid at or near ordinary temperatures, and covered on' each side with one or more substances capable of absorbing the gases employed and exposed on the 'one side gasused.

2. In a gas-battery, asolid porous non-conducting material impregnated with an electrolyte liquid at or near ordinary temperatures, and coated on eacli'side by a conducting material capable of absorbing gases in its pores, such as described.

-to the -one gas and on the other to the other 3. In a gas-battery, the combination of al] solid porous non-conducting material impregnated with an electrolyte liquid at or near or.- -dinary temperatures, with a porous conducting material covering the same, `and a gas-abi sorbing material covering or .impregnatingI the said porous conducting material, substan- 4. In. a gas-battery, in solid porous non-conducting substance im'- pregnated with an electrolyte liquid at or near ordinary temperatures, and covered on ous metallic conducting materialin contactj each side with gas-absorbing material, a por-v with or permeating the gas-absorbing mate-l of the battery.

5. In al gas-battery, the combination of a porous non-conducting substance, a liquid,

electrolyte impregnatin g theI same, a gas-absorbing coating on each side of said porous substance, with a good conductor of ,electricJ 1 ity on each side in the form of thin metallic -fo-il, gauze or perforated plates pernieable to the gases employed and -in frequent contact with the absoent coating over its whole surface, whereby the'electricity is taken and conducted away from numerous pointsat small vdistance 'from each other, and thus'the inter- 'by the battery is increased.

nal resistance is reduced and the work done \6. In a gas-battery, the combination'ofva non-conducting porous plate impregnated withranelectrolyte, with a coating on each f ducting plates impregnated with an electro-- side of 'it of conducting and gas-absorbing material,l such coatings being insulated from each other but connected with opposite poles of the battery, andan electro-negative gas bathing one si'de of the coating and an electro-*positive gas the other side of the coating.

-7. A gas-battery formed of porous' non-concombination with a lyte coated on each sidewith conducting and' gas-absorbing matter, the sides being insulated from each other and connected with opposite poles, and of chambers between the plates, each alternate chamber being filled with an electro-negative gas and the others with an electro-positive one.

8. In a gas-battery, in combination with a porous non-conducting plate impregnated with liquid electrolyte having two gas-absorbing electrically-conducting layers, one on each side of the porous plate, a conductor lconnected with one of the poles of the battery fixed on each side of thek porous plate and electrically connected with the absorbing conducting layer nearly or quite all round.

9. .In a battery having as its electrolyte a 4liquid permeating and absorbed by a porous non-conducting solid material, the combination of the said electrolyte With a coating on each side of gas-absorbing materials, a *gas* chamber on each side of the said electrolyte supplied, respectively, each with one of the gases used. y

l0. The combination ofthe insulati ng-plates R, conductors A, embedded therein, and nonconducting panels M, impregnated with an electrolytic liquid and covered on each side with gas-absorbing and conducting material, said material on' each side being in electrical contact with the conductor A on that side.

11. As an element of a gas-battery, the com,- bination of a non-conducting frame R, porous non-conducting plates M', permeated'byav liquid electrolyte and coated on each side by a gas-absorbing and conducting layer insulated from the layer on the other side, conductors A, respectively, all round the plates on each side and each connected Wit-h one pole, each in electrical contactwith the con- TOO ducting-layers on its own side, and said layersbeing exposed one to an electro-negative'v and the other to an electro-positive gas.

12. In a battery,a series of non-conducting frames Rnonconducting plates M, impregnated with an electrolytic liquid, and having a conducting gas -gabsorbing layer on each side, conductors A on each side, eachcon- IIO nected with its respective. pole and with the 4absorbing .conducting-layer on its own side, poles P P', positive gas-passages O and positive gas-spaces G*2 G4 G6, negative gas-passages H and negative gas-spaces` G G3 G5, outside inclosing-case E, and distance-pieces K, formf ing with'frames R said gas-chambers G G2, all combined substantially as described.

13. A battery composed of a series of porous plates M, permeated with an electrolyte liquid at or near ordinary temperatures and coated on l'each side with a 'gas-absorbing and conducting layer, the' layers facing one Way being insulated from the layers facing the other way, and a series of spaces between the plates, one alternate set of which is exposed to an electro-negative gas and the otherto an electro-positive one. x 14.. In a gas-battery,

the combination of a t (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

f L. MOND & C. LANGER.

' PROCESS CE CBTAININC ELECTRICITY EECM CAS BATTERIES.

Patented Aug. 2

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