US1218584A - Electrode for generating pure oxygen. - Google Patents

Description

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ELECTRQDE FOR GENERATING OXYGEN.

release.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, Jon's F. iai'ennns, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Roseburg, in the county of Douglas and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrodes for lenerating Pure Oxygen; and I do herebydeclare that the following" is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to use the same.

The obiect of my invention is to produce )ure oxygen, and in such ipiantities as may be required on board a submarine boat while under the water. However, l do not wish to limit this invention exclusively to the use of submarine boatsJas it also may be used for other pur 'ioses.

To make this subject clear, I wish to state here some well established. facts regarding the atmospheric air. it consists, on an average, in volume, 0t 20 per cent. of oxygen and 77 per cent. ol nitrogen, and the remaining 3 per cent. consists of carbonic acid, hydrocarbons, ammonia, and the helium group of gases, consisting oi argon, neon, helium, krypton, Xenon and niton. These last named six gases, except niton, are inert under all circumstances and therefore need not be further considered here. l' liton is a powerful agent, which will be further described hereinafter. Finally the all may at times contain some ozone. I

Oxygen and ozone are the only substances contained in the air that sustain human life. In fact the human being could not live with out oxygen. Ozone is now considered to be a condensed form of oxygen, but not many years ago it was considered a combination of electricity and oxygen. it cities but sparingly in the air and is easily little ozone is produced in every battery on the positive pole, as well as in the electrolysis of water. however in very minute. quantities. l t is claimed that ozone is even more beneficial to sustain human life than oxygen. A proper supply of pure oxygen, available in about the same proportions as found in the atmosphere is therefiire an absolute necessity on a sulunarine boat, especially while the same is under water and cut from the atmospheric air. This supply of oxygen, for the sulnnarine boats, as well as for many other Specification of Letters 'i'etent.

.. 7 Application filed August 4, 1815. Serial l lo. 43,609.

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marine for many reasons. Especially could they not be employed while the boat is sol merged. Moreover such methods do not furnish the oxygen continuously, or as quired by consunu ition, unless kept in large supply tanks. etc,,,-'

For the aboue'reason', and other reasons, not mentioned in these specifications, "electrolysis has been adopted. The dkzcoinposi tion of 'ater H 4) by an electric current, known as electrolysis, into its two elements oxygen and hydrogen, has been known for a long time. In this process oxygen is setfree 0n the positive pole, also called the anode,

and hydrogen is developed or set free on the negative pole, also called cathode.

However, on board of a submarine, free hydrogen is an element of great danger as will be explained further on, and to eliminate, at least in part, this dangerous element hydrogen and other dangerous gases, is the object of these specifications. I have found from experience that a compound cathode consisting of palladium sponge or palladium black with some rhodium, are the materials which absorb the largest volumes of hydrogen. The catalyst rhodium, although it absorbs some hydrogei'i is more important in the compound cathode as a catalyst, than as an absorber of hydrogen. When such a cathode has become saturated with hydrogen and then submerged into a solution of ammonium per-sulfate, or any other solution that is capable of giving oil" oxygen,'tlie catalyst rhodium will at once cause a union be tween the hydrogen of the cathode and the oxygen of the solution, and thus restore the cathode into a condition in which it will absorb hydrogen again. But a cathode of palladium, in its different forms, Without bring it back to status quo in a shorter time,

even when the submarine is deep under Water, and thereby continue the developmentadvantage to of oxygen continuously is certainly a very important feature and certainly is new and useful, and is my invention.

F or the anode, I prefer, the some com pound plate as has just been described for the cathode for the following reasons: The compound palladium sponge-rhodium plates do not absorb any oxygen, but deliver all the on: gen generated, hence they do not tarnish, end if perchence any hydrogen is carried along with the developed oxygen, the former is, or likely will be, absorbed by it, and finally, having both anode and cathode identicel in shape and composition, all possible danger of niisplacing them is completely removed. Moreover such plates are almost indestructible; and therefore are the cheapest plates in the end, although their first cost is higher than common plates.

For the solutiozuor electrolyte, the 0 choose is pure WlllZQi, with n acid added to make it cone electric current. The erof anode and cathode in elec- L l fu trolysis is too Well known to need any furthe: description here. It may be of some plates are submerged into the electrolyte so that the upper edge of them are an inch-J or more below the Waters surface, the cdndh tion of both can at s glance be observed. Thus the gives oxygen in bubbles, Whioh indicates the condition ofthepro Bubs or hydrog on the cathode indi etc thot about polarised end ehoe d'be oed by anew The space s top of the and liquid sur face serves e purifier of the escaping ozy gen also. By using pure Wat/er for the eleccauses, still exist. the exhaled carbon gases further considered here.

state here that when both trolyte the most of the poisonous gases are eliminatuhsuch as chlorin, etc., but the exhydrogen absorbino substance and 2. catalyst adopted to render said electrode capable of up its hydrogen when brought into contact with oxygen ounta'iined in solution.

Acolnpouud electrode consisting ofhydrogeirabsorbing palladium, and the catalyst rhodium, adapted to render said palladium capable of giving up its hydrogen when brouglltinto contact with oxygen contained in solution. v

3. compound electrode consisting of hydrogen-absorbing palladium in porous form, and the catalyst rhodium adapted to render said palladium capable of giving up its hydrogen when brought into contact with contained in solution.

= JOHN F. SANDERS l lltnessesi Amos lemon, 0. P. Cosrrow;