Test of aluplate<->sand-graphite-tablesalt battery cell

[hartiberlin]

I have uploaded 2 new pics over here:

http://phlog.net/user/harti

the first shows the etched surface of the aluplate after
removing the graphite-salt-sand-mix paste
and the second
shows the new test with a sheet of
cleaning paper between paste mix and aluplate
in a heated state.
There you can see, that the milliampsare just only 0.02 mA
which is 20 uA !
This is very low.
It is still on the oven heating plate.
so when it cools down and the paste sucks in again water
from the air, the shortcircuit current will rise again.

But it is much lower all in all in the case with paper towel sheet !

So it is really better to use a galvanix cell without it.
The aluminiumoxid layer is enough to be the shieling layer
for the cell.
In wet state the shortcircuit current without the sheet is still about 5 times
higher.

So it seems this setup can only be used for galvanic
action, but not for the crystal battery effect ala Hutchison/Reid.

Regards, Stefan.

[sypherios]

Hi, All.
I would like to know the lifespan of the voltage.Does the battery recharge off the water?(in the air or added).

[Walter Hofmann]

I have uploaded 2 new pics over here:

http://phlog.net/user/harti

the first shows the etched surface of the aluplate after
removing the graphite-salt-sand-mix paste
and the second
shows the new test with a sheet of
cleaning paper between paste mix and aluplate
in a heated state.
There you can see, that the milliampsare just only 0.02 mA
which is 20 uA !
This is very low.
It is still on the oven heating plate.
so when it cools down and the paste sucks in again water
from the air, the shortcircuit current will rise again.

But it is much lower all in all in the case with paper towel sheet !

So it is really better to use a galvanix cell without it.
The aluminiumoxid layer is enough to be the shieling layer
for the cell.
In wet state the shortcircuit current without the sheet is still about 5 times
higher.

So it seems this setup can only be used for galvanic
action, but not for the crystal battery effect ala Hutchison/Reid.

Regards, Stefan.

Hi stefan,
something must be wrong maybe your meter has bad lead or connection. I did the same setup with 50 % sand and 50% regular graphite powder mixt to a stiff mud with a 1% saltsolution and put on a few different aluplates. The opencircuit Voltage was in every case more then 1V direckt and 0.9V with paper insulation and between 130mA direckt to 225mA with papertowel short circuit. As contact on top of the graphite mix I used one piece of the flexible graphit strips from you. The aluplates was 2.5 X 6 cm.
After heating it for 2 hours at 160 grad C till it was bone dry it did also show only 0.2 to 0.4V and 2 to 4 mA and this did show that with this methode it does not work like hudchinson/marcus reid.Like you sayd.
The same test with my special graphite mix brought even 530 to 720 mA short circuit by 1.25V opencircuit.
I thought it maybe interesst you.
greetings
walt

[hartiberlin]

Hi Walter,
with the towel paper in between I only get about 0.8 mA maximum
when the pate mix is wet.
Without the towelpaper I got around 10 mA maimum.

When the paste mix is dry, I almost get no current out of it,
less than 20  uA .

Regards, Stefan.

[Walter Hofmann]

Hi Walter,
with the towel paper in between I only get about 0.8 mA maximum
when the pate mix is wet.
Without the towelpaper I got around 10 mA maimum.

When the paste mix is dry, I almost get no current out of it,
less than 20? uA .

Regards, Stefan.

Hi stefan,
something is generally wrong here, like seyd before I replicated your test and the results are like described before, now the only difference are the aluplate I have used two different kind one is the same material where the streetsigns are made from the other is like a bar. I sanded them clean and then applied like described. the other is the graphite powder i used the drillout powder what is just plain graphit powder and as sand ones i used ordinary construction sand and then I used beachsand. But I used als contact to the graphit sand mix a small graphite plate 20X30mm with a alligator clip. as meter I use my two DVM meter setup one for voltage on 2 V and the other for current set on 20 A with different switchable resistors like 1 , 10, 33, 50, and 100 ohm.
As the papertowel i used the kind what does not ripp so easely and did wet it first in the same saltwater solution where the mix are made from.
The measurements like described are in the wet stage. the sort circuit current is just the amount after about 2 second because with this measurement methode the current runs down verry fast.
if I find the time I will make a few picture and poste them.
After the mix is tryid out is another story there is pretty much nothing and there you are right.
greetings
walter