Vapor control system for and a liquid electrographic system

A vapor control system for reducing vapor emissions in an electrographic system employing a developer having toner particles dispersed in a carrier liquid in which said carrier liquid is at least partially vaporized during operation of said liquid electrographic system creating vaporized carrier having a temperature, comprising:

• vapor collection means for collecting at least some of said vaporized carrier from said electrographic system;
• a container having a vapor inlet and a vapor outlet containing a non-aqueous cooling liquid, said cooling liquid having a temperature less than said temperature of said vaporized carrier but greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• and
• cooling means for cooling said cooling liquid;
• and
• flow means operatively coupled to said vapor collection means and to said vapor inlet of said container for delivering at least a portion of said vaporized carrier which has been collected within said vapor collection means to said cooling liquid in said container at a point below the surface of said cooling liquid;
• wherein a pressure drop is created through said cooling liquid between said vapor inlet and said vapor outlet of said container and wherein said flow means delivers said portion of said vaporized carrier to said cooling liquid with a pressure at least as great as ambient air pressure plus said pressure drop;
• wherein said vaporized carrier also contains some water vapor and wherein at least a portion of said water vapor is condensed from said vaporized carrier along with at least some of said vaporized carrier to form water, said vapor control system further comprising liquid separating means associated with container for separating said water from said container;
• wherein said at least a portion of said condensed vaporized carrier is returned to said electrographic system for use in said developer;
• and
• wherein said vapor collection means has an interior surface, said vapor control system further comprising returns means associated with said vapor collection means for returning any of said vaporized carrier collected by said vapor collection means which condenses on said interior surface of said vapor collection means to said electrographic system for use in said developer.

A vapor control system for reducing vapor emissions in an electrographic system employing a developer having toner particles dispersed in a carrier liquid in which said carrier liquid is at least partially vaporized during operation of said liquid electrographic system creating vaporized carrier having a temperature, comprising:

• vapor collection means for collecting at least some of said vaporized carrier from said electrographic system;
• a container having a vapor inlet and a vapor outlet containing a non-aqueous cooling liquid, said cooling liquid having a temperature less than said temperature of said vaporized carrier but greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• and
• flow means operatively coupled to said vapor collection means and to said vapor inlet of said container for delivering at least a portion of said vaporized carrier which has been collected within said vapor collection means to said cooling liquid in said container at a point below the surface of said cooling liquid;
• wherein pressure drop is created through said cooling liquid between said vapor inlet and said vapor outlet of said container and wherein said flow means delivers said portion of said vaporized carrier to said cooling liquid with a pressure at least as great as ambient air pressure plus said pressure drop;
• and
• wherein said cooling liquid is immiscible with said liquid carrier and is immiscible with water;
• whereby at least some of said vaporized carrier is condensed into said liquid carrier by said cooling liquid.

A vapor control system for reducing vapor emissions in an electrographic system employing a developer having toner particles dispersed in a carrier liquid in which said carrier liquid is at least partially vaporized during operation of said liquid electrographic system creating vaporized carrier having a temperature, comprising:

• vapor collection means having an interior surface for collecting at least some of said vaporized carrier from said electrographic system;
• a container having a vapor inlet and a vapor outlet containing a non-aqueous cooling liquid, said cooling liquid having a temperature less than said temperature of said vaporized carrier but greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• cooling means for cooling said cooling liquid;
• flow means operatively coupled to said vapor collection means and to said vapor inlet of said container for delivering at least a portion of said vaporized carrier which has been collected within said vapor collection means to said cooling liquid in said container at a point below the surface of said cooling liquid;
• and
• returns means associated with said vapor collection means for returning any of said vaporized carrier collected by said vapor collection means which condenses on said interior surface of said vapor collection means to said electrographic system for use in said developer;
• wherein pressure drop is created through said cooling liquid between said vapor inlet and said vapor outlet of said container and wherein said flow means delivers said portion of said vaporized carrier to said cooling liquid with a pressure at least as great as ambient air pressure plus said pressure drop;
• wherein said vaporized carrier also contains some water vapor and wherein at least a portion of said water vapor is condensed from said vaporized carrier along with at least some of said vaporized carrier to form water, said vapor control system further comprising liquid separating means associated with container for separating said water from said container;
• wherein said at least a portion of said condensed vaporized carrier is returned to said electrographic system for use in said developer;
• wherein said vaporized carrier also contains some water vapor and wherein at least a portion of said water vapor is condensed from said vaporized carrier along with at least some of said vaporized carrier to form water, said vapor control system further comprising liquid separating means associated with container for separating said water from said container;
• wherein said at least a portion of said condensed vaporized carrier is returned to said electrographic system for use in said developer;
• and
• wherein said vaporized carrier bubbles through said cooling liquid between said vapor inlet and said vapor outlet of said container with bubbles of said vaporized carrier traveling at a flow rate of not more than 50 standard liters per minute and wherein the average time of residence of said bubbles of said vaporized carrier within said cooling liquid is at least 0.1 second.

A vapor control system for reducing vapor emissions in an electrographic system employing a developer having toner particles dispersed in a carrier liquid in which said carrier liquid is at least partially vaporized during operation of said liquid electrographic system creating vaporized carrier having a temperature, comprising:

• vapor collection means for collecting at least some of said vaporized carrier from said electro graphic system;
• a container having a vapor inlet and a vapor outlet containing a cooling liquid, said cooling liquid having a temperature being less than said temperature of said vaporized carrier but greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• cooling means for cooling said cooling liquid;
• flow means operatively coupled to said vapor collection means and to said vapor inlet of said container for creating an air pressure within said vapor collection means which is less than ambient air pressure and delivering at least a portion of said vaporized carrier which has been collected within said vapor collection means to said cooling liquid in said container at a point below the surface of said cooling liquid;
• and
• a baffling device positioned within said cooling liquid in the path of said bubbles of said vaporized carrier between said vapor inlet and said vapor outlet of said container;
• wherein said vaporized carrier also contains some water vapor and wherein at least a portion of said water vapor is condensed from said vaporized carrier along with at least some of said vaporized carrier to form water, said vapor control system further comprising liquid separating means associated with container for separating said water from said container;
• and
• wherein said vapor collection means has an interior surface, said vapor control system further comprising return means associated with said vapor collection means for returning any of said vaporized carrier collected by said vapor collection means which condenses on said interior surface of said vapor collection means to said electrographic system for use in said developer.

An electrophotographic system, comprising:

• a photoconductor having a surface;
• charging means for charging said surface of said photoconductor;
• discharge means for image-wise discharging said surface of said photoconductor;
• a developer having toner particles dispersed in a carrier liquid in which said carrier liquid is at least partially vaporized during said liquid electrophotographic system creating vaporized carrier having a temperature;
• vapor collection means for collecting at least some of said vaporized carrier from said electrophotographic system;
• a container having a vapor inlet and a vapor outlet containing a non-aqueous cooling liquid, said cooling liquid having a temperature being less than said temperature of said vaporized carrier but greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• and
• flow means operatively coupled to said vapor collection means and to said vapor inlet of said container for creating an air pressure within said vapor collection means which is less than ambient air pressure and delivering at least a portion of said vaporized carrier which has been collected within said vapor collection means to said cooling liquid in said container at a point below the surface of said cooling liquid;
• wherein pressure drop is created through said cooling liquid between said vapor inlet and said vapor outlet of said container and wherein said flow means delivers said at least a portion of said vaporized carrier to said cooling liquid with a pressure at least as great as ambient air pressure plus said pressure drop;
• wherein said carrier liquid is a hydrocarbon carrier liquid;
• and
• wherein said cooling liquid is miscible with said liquid carrier and is immiscible with water;
• whereby at least some of said vaporized carrier is condensed into said liquid carrier by said cooling liquid.