An Earth battery is composed of a pair of electrodes made of two dissimilar metals, such as iron and copper, which are buried in the soil or immersed in the sea. A device that is placed in water is labeled a "sea battery". An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a metallic part of a circuit (e. ... For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... Loess field in Germany Surface-water-gley developed in glacial till, Northern Ireland Technically, soil forms the pedosphere: the interface between the lithosphere (rocky part of the planet) and the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. ... This article is about the body of water. ...

History

One of the earliest examples of an earth battery was built by Alexander Bain in 1841 in order to drive a prime mover[1] . Bain, his achievements relatively unknown, exploited his electric patents in operation in the United States in competition with Morse. Bain was the one of the first people to construct an electromagnetic clock and to devise a unique system to run the mechanical device. Bain buried plates of zinc and copper in the ground about one meter apart and used the resulting voltage, of about one volt, to operate a clock. Carl Friedrich Gauss, who had researched the Earth's magnetic field, and Karl A. von Steinheil, who built one of the first electric clocks and developed the idea of an "Earth return" or "ground return", had previously investigated such devices. Lord Kelvin developed a "sea battery" in the latter end of the 1800s.^[1] The Leclanche battery was a copy of the earth battery. ^[2] Alexander Bain (October 1811 – January 2, 1877), was a Scottish instrument inventor, technician, and clockmaker. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the philosophical/theological concept of a prime mover (that is, a self-existent being that is the ultimate cause or mover of all things), see cosmological argument. ... General Name, symbol, number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... The word ground has several meanings: The surface of the Earth Soil, a mixture of sand and organic material present on the surface of the Earth Ground (electricity), in electrical engineering, something that is connected to the Earth or at the voltage defined as zero (in the US, called ground... This article is about the unit of length. ... Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss or Gauß ( ; Latin: ) (30 April 1777 – 23 February 1855) was a German mathematician and scientist of profound genius who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, electrostatics, astronomy, and optics. ... The magnetosphere shields the surface of the Earth from the charged particles of the solar wind. ... It has been suggested that Ground conductor be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Ground conductor be merged into this article or section. ... William Thomson, Archbishop of York, has the same name as this man. ... A 1919 illustration of a Leclanche cell. ...

Daniel Drawbaugh received U.S. Patent 211,322  for an Earth battery for electric clocks (with several improvements in the art of Earth batteries). Another early patent was obtained by Emil Jahr U.S. Patent 690,151  Method of utilizing electrical Earth currents). In 1875, James C. Bryan received U.S. Patent 160,152  for his Earth Battery. In 1885, George Dieckmann, received US patent U.S. Patent 329,724  for his Electric Earth battery. In 1898, Nathan Stubblefield [2] received U.S. Patent 600,457  for his electrolytic coil battery, which was a combination of an earth battery and a solenoid.(For more information see US patents 155209, 182802, 495582, 728381, 3278335, 3288648, 4153757 & 4457988) The Earth battery, in general, generated power for early telegraph transmissions and formed part of a tuned circuit that amplified the signalling voltage over long distances. 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nathan B. Stubblefield (November 22, 1860 - March 28, 1928) was an American inventor and Kentucky melon farmer. ... The regenerative circuit (or self-regenerative circuit) allows a signal to be amplified many times by the same vacuum tube or other active component such as a field effect transistor. ...

Operation and utilization

The simplest earth batteries consist of conductive plates from different locations in the electropotential series, buried in the ground so that the soil acts as the electrolyte in a voltaic cell. As such, the device acts as a rechargeable battery. When operated only as electrolytic devices, the devices were not continuously reliable, owing to drought condition. These devices were used by early experimenters as energy sources for telegraphy. However, in the process of installing long telegraph wires, engineers discovered that there were electrical potential differences between most pairs of telegraph stations, resulting from natural electrical currents (called telluric currents^[3]) flowing through the ground. Some early experimenters did recognise that these currents were, in fact, partly responsible for extending the earth batteries' high outputs and long lifetimes. Later, experimenters would utilize these currents alone and, in these systems, the plates became polarized. The galvanic series determines the nobility of metals and semi-metals. ... Loess field in Germany Surface-water-gley developed in glacial till, Northern Ireland Technically, soil forms the pedosphere: the interface between the lithosphere (rocky part of the planet) and the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. ... An electrolyte is a substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrically conductive medium. ... Voltaic cell can connote: Galvanic cell Voltaic pile see also: battery (electricity), fuel cell This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A rechargeable lithium polymer Nokia mobile phone battery. ... Telegraph and Telegram redirect here. ... A telluric current is an electric current in the Earth (both land and sea). ... In electrodynamics, polarization (also spelled polarisation) is the property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the direction of their transverse electric field. ...

It had been long known that continuous electric currents flowed through the solid and liquid portions of the Earth^[4], and the collection of current from an electrically conductive medium in the absence of electrochemical changes (and in the absence of a thermoelectric junction) was established by Lord Kelvin.^[5][6] Lord Kelvin's "sea battery" was not a chemical battery.^[7] Lord Kelvin observed that such variables as placement of the electrodes in the magnetic field and the direction of the medium's flow affected the current output of his device. Such variables do not affect battery operation. When metal plates are immersed in a liquid medium, energy can be obtain and generated,^[8] including (but not limited to) methods known via magneto-hydrodynamic generators. In the various experiments by Lord Kelvin, metal plates were symmetrically perpendicular to the direction of the medium's flow and were carefully placed with respect to a magnetic field which differentially deflected electrons from the flowing stream. The electrodes can be asymmetrically oriented with respect to the source of energy, though. // The MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) generator or dynamo transforms thermal energy or kinetic energy directly into electricity. ...

To obtain the natural electricity, experimenters would thrust two metal plates into the ground at a certain distance from each other in the direction of a magnetic meridian, or astronomical meridian. The stronger currents flow from south to north. This phenomenon possesses a considerable uniformity of current strength and voltage. As the Earth currents flow from south to north, electrodes are positioned, beginning in the south and ending in the north, to increase the voltage at as large a distance as possible.^[9] In many early implementations, the cost was prohibitive because of an over-reliance on extreme spacing between electrodes.

It has been found that all the common metals behave relatively similarly. The two spaced electrodes, having a load in an external circuit connected between them, are disposed in an electrical medium, and energy is imparted to the medium in such manner that "free electrons" in the medium are excited. The free electrons then flow into one electrode to a greater degree than in the other electrode, thereby causing electric current to flow in the external circuit through the load. The current flows from that plate whose position in the electropotential series is near the negative end (such as palladium). The current produced is highest when the two metals are most widely separated from each other in the electropotential series, and when the material nearer the positive end is to the north, while that at the negative end is towards the south. The plates, one copper and another iron or carbon, are connected above ground by means of a wire with as little resistance as possible. In such an arrangement, the electrodes are not appreciably chemically corroded, even when they are in earth saturated with water, and are connected together by a wire for a long time. In solid-state physics, the free electron model is a simple model for the behaviour of valence electrons in a crystal structure of a metallic solid. ... For other uses, see Palladium (disambiguation). ...

It had been found that to strengthen the current, it was most advantageous to drive the northerly electropositive electrode deeper into the medium than the southerly electrode. The greatest currents and voltages were obtained when the difference in depth was such that a line joining the two electrodes was in the direction of the magnetic dip, or magnetic inclination. When the previous methods were combined, the current was tapped and utilized in any well-known manner. Magnetic dip is the angle made by a compass needle with the horizontal at any point on the Earths surface. ...

In some cases, a pair of plates with differing electrical properties, and with suitable protective coatings, were buried below the ground. A protective or other coating covered each entire plate. A copper plate could be coated with powered coke, a processed carbonaceous material. To a zinc plate, a layer of felt could be applied. To use the natural electricity, earth batteries fed electromagnets, the load, that were part of a motor mechanism. Petroleum coke (often abbreviated pet coke) is a carbonaceous solid derived from oil refinery cracking processes. ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... A selection of 4 different felt cloths. ...

See also

• Soil science : soil acidity & soil moisture
• Soil resistance & grounding
• antenna & ground antenna
• Transmission medium & induction
• electric field & near and far field
• metal, electrodes, & contact potential
• Acidity & Bases

Soil science deals with soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils per se; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Ground conductor be merged into this article or section. ... A Yagi-Uda beam antenna Short Wave Curtain Antenna (Moosbrunn, Austria) A building rooftop supporting numerous dish and sectored mobile telecommunications antennas (Doncaster, Victoria, Australia) An antenna is a transducer designed to transmit or receive radio waves which are a class of electromagnetic waves. ... A Ground dipole (alt: Ground antenna) is a special type of antenna which consists of two electrodes positioned in the ground. ... A transmission medium is any material substance, such as fiber-optic cable, twisted-wire pair, coaxial cable, dielectric-slab waveguide, water, or air, that can be used for the propagation of signals, usually in the form of modulated radio, light, or acoustic waves, from one point to another. ... Look up induction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In physics, the space surrounding an electric charge or in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field has a property called an electric field. ... In the study of diffraction and antenna design, the near field is that part of the radiated field nearest to the antenna, where the radiation pattern depends on the distance from the antenna. ... This article is about metallic materials. ... An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a metallic part of a circuit (e. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Contact electrification. ... Acidity is a controversial novelette written for the popular South Asian website Chowk. ... The best STM agency in the world ...

References and articles

General information

• Park Benjamin and Melvin L. Severy, The Voltaic Cell: Its Construction and Its Capacity. Wiley, 1893. 562 pages. Pages 317 - 319.
• George Milton Hopkins, Experimental Science: Elementary, Practical and Experimental Physics. Munn & Co., 1902. Pages 437 - 451.
• Frederick Collier Bakewell, Electric science, its history, phenomena and applications. 1853. Pages 182 - 184.
• James Napier, A manual of electro-metallurgy. 1876. Pages 48-49.
• William Edward Armytage Axon, The Mechanic's Friend. Trübner, 1875. 339 pages. Pages 303-304.
• Adolph A. Fesquet, Oliver Byrne, and John Percy, The Practical Metal-worker's Assistant. H.C. Baird & Co., 1878. 683 pages. Pages 529-530.
• Eugenii Katz, "Alexander Bain". The history of electrochemistry, electricity and electronics; Biosensors & Bioelectronics.
• Vassilatos, Gerry, "An Introduction to the Mysteries of Ground Radio".
• Burns, R. W., "Alexander Bain, a most ingenious and meritorious inventor". Engineering Science and Education Journal, Volume 2, Issue 2, Apr 1993. Pages 85-93. ISSN 0963-7346
• "Earth Battery", theverylastpageoftheinternet.com. (Index of /forsale/plans/earthbattery)
• R.J.Edwards G4FGQ, Measurement of Soil Resistivity & Calculation of Earth Electrode Resistance. 15th February 1998
• The Gentleman's magazine. (1731). London: [s.n.]. Page 587.
• Spencer W. Richardson, "The Flow of Electricity through Dielectrics". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character, Vol. 92, No. 635 (Nov. 1, 1915), pp. 101-107.
• John Patterson Abernethy, The Modern Service of Commercial and Railway Telegraphy. 1887. 423 pages. Page 72.
• William Dwight, Whitney Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language. Page 1405.
• Thomas Dixon Lockwood, Electricity, Magnetism, and Electric Telegraphy. D. Van Nostrand Co., 1883. 375 pages. Page 42.
• Edwin James Houston, A Dictionary of Electrical Words, Terms and Phrases. P.F. Collier & Son, 1903. Page 756.
• Henry Minchin , Student's Text-book of Electricity. Lockwood, 1867. 519 pages. Pages 477 - 485. (Alternative copy)
• Vassilatos, G. (2000). Lost science. Kempton, Ill: Adventures Unlimited.
• "Telluric Currents: The Natural Environment and Interactions with Man-made Systems". The Earth's Electrical Environment (1986), Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications.
• Prescott, G. B. (1860). History, theory, and practice of the electric telegram. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 468 page.
• PowerPedia Earth battery [3]

Frederick Collier Bakewell (September 29, 1800 – September 26, 1869) was an English physicist who improved on the concept of the facsimile machine introduced by Alexander Bain in 1842 and demonstrated a working version at the 1851 Worlds Fair in London. ...

Ctiations and notes

1. ^ Method and apparatus for generating electricity, US Pat. 4153757. Column 1 Line 40 - Column 2 Line 4.
2. ^ The Electrical Review, 1892. Page 68.
3. ^ It has been estimated that natural telluric current density during twelve hours in one hemisphere are in range of 100 to 1000 amperes.
4. ^ Gish, O. H., The Natural Electric Currents in the Earth's Crust. The Scientific Monthly, Volume 32, Issue 1, pp. 5-21.
5. ^ Lord Kelvin (William Thomson). www.phy.bg.ac.yu. (cf., By the middle of the 19th century it had been shown that magnetism and electricity, electromagnetism, and light were related, and Thomson had shown by mathematical analogy that there was a relationship between hydrodynamic phenomena and an electric current flowing through wires.)
6. ^ Method and apparatus for generating electricity, US Pat. 4153757. Column 1 Line 40 - Column 2 Line 4.
7. ^ Method and apparatus for generating electricity, US Pat. 4153757. Column 1 Line 40 - Column 2 Line 4.
8. ^ W. P. Piggot, "U.S. Patent 050314 Telegraph cable". Page 1, Column 1, Line 9 - 12.
9. ^ Bryan, James C., "U.S. Patent 160152 Earth Battery". February 23, 1875. Page 1, Column 1, Lines 29-32.

Patents

• A. Bain, "U.S. Patent 5,957  Copying surfaces by electricity".
• A. Bain, "U.S. Patent 6,328  Improvements in electric telegraphs".
• W. P. Piggot, "U.S. Patent 050,314  Telegraph cable".
• W. D. Snow, "U.S. Patent 155,209  Earth-batteries for generating electricity".
• J. Cerpaux, "U.S. Patent 182,802  Electric piles".
• Daniel Drawbaugh, "U.S. Patent 211,322  Earth battery for electric clocks".
• M. Emme, "U.S. Patent 495,582  Ground generator of electricity".
• M. Emme, "U.S. Patent 728,381  Storage Battery".
• Jahr, Emil, "U.S. Patent 690,151  Method of utilizing electrical earth currents".
• Bryan, James C., "U.S. Patent 160,151  Improvements in lightning rods".
• Bryan, James C., "U.S. Patent 160,152  Earth Battery". February 23, 1875.
• Bryan, James C., "U.S. Patent 160,154  Improvements in lightning rods".
• James M. Dices, "U.S. Patent 2,806,895  Immersion type battery".
• Dieckmann, George F., "U.S. Patent 329,724  Electric Earth Battery". November 3, 1885.
• Stubblefield, Nathan, "U.S. Patent 600,457  Electric battery". May 8, 1898.
• William T. Clark, "U.S. Patent 4,153,757  Method and apparatus for generating electricity".
• Ryeczek, "U.S. Patent 4,457,988  Earth battery". July 3, 1984.

is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

Further reading

• Lamont, J. V., "Der Erdstrom und der Zusammen desselben mit dem Erdmagnetismus". Leopold-Voss-Verlag, Leipzig und Muenchen, 1862. (Tr., Telluric currents and their relationship to geomagnetism)
• Weinstein, "Electrotechnische Zeitshrift". 1898, pg., 794. (Tr., Electrotechnic magazine)
• John Timbs, The Year-book of Facts in Science and Art. 1868. Page 130.
• Journal of the Telegraph. Western Union Telegraph, Co., 1914.