Working Air Battery

[mscoffman]

@mscoffman and all interested in simple batteries:

There seems to be a grave error in the Russian text.

Look at a "voltaic pile", e.g. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Voltaic_pile.png

It is obvious that the right order of metals and tulle is the following:

copper
tulle
zinc
copper
tulle
zinc
copper
tulle
zinc

There must always be a zinc plate in touch with a copper plate (besides the first copper and the last zinc plate). The Russian text omits this "touching of metals" in a voltaic pile and proposes tulle between all plates. This would cause 0 Voltage (in case the first and the last plate is of the same metal) or just one "copper - zinc" difference in Voltage over the whole pile (which is around 0.5 Volt).

And it is hard to believe the 2 KW.

Interesting, already in 1918 there where tall tales about technical achievements. And I thought that started with overunty.com 

Greetings, Conrad

Not so fast conrad; (sorry, i just had to say that here)

I figured out what he means by this, I think. Suppose you alternate
metals like they say, but you then connect every similar *pair* of metal
disk together in sort of a stamped clip shape.

You would then have the battery in series as 2Q+Q+2Q.

Why? Back in 1918 or whatever even today the touching of dissimilar
metals in a circuit would be difficult to support because electrolyte
would tend to work it's way between the metals and cause corrosion.
This would be especially true of metal foils. If the cells were really thin
you could have a thousand in a single pile. ala Joesph Newman motor.
Flooding of the battery with water might not be so efficient, but it could
also result in the electrolysis reported.

:S:MarkSCoffman

[conradelektro]

@ MarkSCoffman

Yes, I was too fast; concentrating on the "voltage addition" in a voltaic pile, while we seem to get a "current addition" in the Russian battery. Good thinking Mark!

See the attached drawing. I guess you see it like that? (The Russian inventor in 1918 probably intended such a hook up?)

I like the idea and will try it.

For higher voltage one would need several such batteries in series.


You are right, it is important to keep copper and zinc apart. I got problems with that when experimenting with similar piles or stacks. My voltaic pile had to be very "dry" to work properly. Already a little moisture between the touching dissimilar metal plates caused heavy corrosion and soon voltage loss.

I looked at the voltaic pile because one only needs to make a connection to the top and bottom plate. As I found, the connections to the plates are also a problem. Connection-wire and plate should be of the same metal in order to avoid corrosion problems.

Greetings, Conrad

[Poit]

How come this thread has died? I'm in the process of building an air battery, I will post details when its done

[Bizzy]

I have been enjoying this thread very much and am just waiting for my carbon rods to arrive this week to begin my replications.

I do have one question if anyone has tried the following(Just thinking outside the box)...to date every one has wound the magnesium around the carbon core with a dielectric in between. However has anyone tried putting the carbon around a magnesium core.
I actually have ordered the parts for that as well so I can hopefully try them side by side. It is my design to use large copper pipe sections about a foot in length with a solid bottom. Then take a solid magnesium core and wrap the dielectric around that including the bottom and set it inside the copper pipe section. The magnesium core I found has a steel center to attach a lead. Once the magnesium core is inside fill the rest with powdered carbon, or coal. I have been working with both in my latest earth battery experiments. After that thanother lead can be attached to the copper pipe.
Let me know your feelings on that. I will be sharing my findings once I get this assembled.
Bizzy

[b_rads]

@Bizzy

I do have one question if anyone has tried the following(Just thinking outside the box)...to date every one has wound the magnesium around the carbon core with a dielectric in between. However has anyone tried putting the carbon around a magnesium core.

Interesting approach - Good Luck with your project.  This forum is about sharing information and here is a couple of ideas to consider.  Stainless Steel mesh and activated carbon is very easy to form into a shape of your design - is quite inexpensive - is as effective as electric carbon brush in my experiments.  Also - Coffee filters make a good separator material.
Brad S