Liquid carrier collection
An example method of collecting liquid carrier from a vapour in a printing system includes: heating a vapour carrying a liquid carrier and passing the heated vapour carrying liquid carrier through a volume of liquid carrier. Liquid carrier carried in the heated vapour condenses into the volume of liquid carrier as it passes through the volume of liquid carrier.
1. A method of collecting liquid carrier from a vapour in a printing system, the method comprising:
heating a vapour comprising liquid carrier;
passing the heated vapour comprising liquid carrier through an inlet duct positioned beneath a reservoir containing liquid carrier;
passing the heated vapour comprising liquid carrier upwardly from the inlet duct through a volume of liquid carrier contained in the reservoir; and
cooling the volume of liquid carrier to 0° C. or less,
wherein liquid carrier comprised in the heated vapour condenses into the volume of liquid carrier contained in the reservoir as the condensed liquid carrier comprised in the heated vapour passes through the volume of liquid carrier.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the heated vapour comprising liquid carrier rises through the volume of liquid carrier as bubbles, and
wherein the method further comprises passing the heated vapour comprising liquid carrier through a bubble size reduction element such that the size of the bubbles is reduced.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the heating comprises heating the vapour comprising liquid carrier above an internal working temperature of the printing system.
4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the heating comprises heating the vapour comprising liquid carrier to at least 100° C.
5. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the heating comprises heating the vapour comprising liquid carrier to at least 150° C.
6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling comprises cooling the volume of liquid carrier to less than 0° C.
7. A method according claim 1 , comprising passing the heated vapour comprising liquid carrier through the volume of liquid carrier at least twice.
8. An apparatus for use in a printing system, the apparatus comprising;
a reservoir to store a volume of liquid carrier;
a cooler to cool the volume of liquid carrier stored in the reservoir to 0° C. or less; and
an inlet duct positioned beneath the reservoir to cause a vapour comprising liquid carrier to pass upwardly from the inlet duct through the volume of liquid carrier stored in the reservoir,
wherein liquid carrier comprised in the vapour condenses to join the liquid carrier stored in the reservoir.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8 , comprising a heater to heat the vapour prior to the vapour passing upwardly from the inlet duct through the volume of liquid carrier stored in the reservoir.
10. An apparatus according to claim 8 , comprising a mesh to reduce the size of bubbles of vapour passing through the volume of liquid carrier stored in the reservoir.
11. An apparatus according to claim 8 , comprising an overflow duct to regulate the volume of liquid carrier stored in the reservoir.
12. An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the cooler is to cool the volume of liquid carrier to less than 0° C.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a printing system, cause the processor to:
control a cooler to cool a volume of liquid carrier stored in a reservoir to less than 0° C.; and
control a heater to heat a vapour comprising liquid carrier, wherein the heated vapour comprising liquid carrier is passed through an inlet duct positioned below the reservoir containing the volume of liquid carrier and the vapour is passed through the volume of liquid carrier stored in the reservoir to condense liquid carrier comprised in the vapour.