STORAGE BATTERY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 112, 8 November 1930, Page 24

STORAGE BATTERY

f \ . — ' NEW INVENTION ANNOUNCED A new type of electric battery, which 8 is designed for railway and other s heavy transport, has been undergoing 1 a series of tests on the Great Southern r Eailway at Dublin recently. An offi- '" cial statement on the subject was 0 issued by the British Minister for Ine dustry and Commerce, which sa>is: a "The new battery is a low resist- :- ance, alkaline- battery of robust conf struction. It has 50 per cent, higher r voltage than existing alkaline baty teries. On account of its low resista ance- it can be charged and discharged c at much higher rates than existing c alkaline batteries. The energy eflio eieney of the battery is 75 per cent., i- under practical conditions of opcraa tion, and the current efficiency is 95 3 per cent. The construction is simpler d than existing batteries, and therefore c should bo considerably less expensive c to manufacture. This ■ makes it parr tieularly suitable for operating vehicles t on a shuttle service, or for railway o operation "when charging points can be o arranged at suitable intervals, y "The ability of the battery to yield c large currents without appreciable :r voltage drop enables it to give aceelerae tion rates and maximum, speeds suffio cient for the best type of railway sero yiee," the Minister said. "Kate of g acceleration and maximum speeds dot", pend partially upon the size of the ,r motors installed. With the new bati- tery speeds of 50 m.p.h. to 60 m.p.h. (j may be maintained. It is not yet posi- sible to state definitely the length of i. life of the new battery, but the life i S tests are proceeding. Evidence already 0 accumulated indicates that it will have 0 a very long life." k' "The railway tests have not yet been a completed, as the total number of cells d required has riot yet been finished," s he added. "The tests so far, however, 'f have been eminently satisfactory, and ;. support the claims set out above. 0 Unofficial reports made by inexpert a people refer to losses by leakage and r danger of vibration. It may be stated 1 that the battery is so constructed that 3 damage by vibration eaimot resu.lt, and 3 in respect of retention of charge it is .g superior to existing batteries of simi- ,. lar type." ,_ The inventor is Dr. James Drunim, t an Irish scientist.