What is claimed is:
1. A process for purifying a feed gas which comprises predominantly carbon dioxide and further comprises hydrocarbon contaminants, the process comprising the steps of:
(i) adsorbing hydrocarbons from said feed gas to an extent corresponding to a sufficient reduction of the caloric content of the feed gas that the product gas stream produced in this step can be catalytically oxidized in a single catalytic oxidation reactor; and
(ii) catalytically oxidizing hydrocarbons remaining in the gas stream produced in step (i).
2. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein said adsorbing step reduces the caloric value of the feed gas to less than 18 Btus per standard cubic foot.
3. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein said adsorbing process step reduces the caloric value of the feed gas to less than 12 Btus per standard cubic foot.
4. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein the non-methane hydrocarbon concentration in the feed gas is reduced to less than 20 ppm(v) (expressed as methane) by the catalytic oxidation step.
5. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein said adsorbing step and said catalytic oxidation step together remove approximately 80% to 100% of the hydrocarbons from the feed gas.
6. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein hydrocarbons remaining in the gas stream produced in step (i) are catalytically oxidized in only one catalytic reaction.
7. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein said product gas stream has a sufficiently high caloric value that said catalytic oxidation can proceed autogenously.
8. A process as recited in claim 1, further comprising continuously measuring the caloric value of said product gas stream and in response to said measured caloric value adjusting the portion of said feed gas from which hydrocarbons are adsorbed so that the caloric value of the gas stream fed to said catalytic oxidation step (ii) is constant.
9. A carbon dioxide purification apparatus which includes (i) adsorption apparatus to adsorb hydrocarbons from a carbon dioxide feed gas onto an adsorbing material and produce a hydrocarbon-depleted gas stream, (ii) a catalytic oxidation reactor operatively connected to said adsorption apparatus to receive said hydrocarbon-depleted gas stream from said adsorption apparatus and oxidize residual hydrocarbons from said hydrocarbon-depleted gas stream, and (iii) apparatus for determining the caloric value of a hydrocarbon-depleted gas stream feed gas leaving said adsorption apparatus and diverting a portion of said gas stream around said adsorption apparatus as a function of said caloric value to provide that the gas stream fed to said catalytic oxidation reactor is constant.
10. A carbon dioxide purification apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said adsorbing apparatus reduces the caloric value of the feed gas to less than 18 Btus per standard cubic foot.
11. A carbon dioxide purification apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said adsorbing apparatus reduces the caloric value of the feed gas to less than 12 Btus per standard cubic foot.
12. A carbon dioxide purification apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the non-methane concentration in the feed gas is reduced to less than 20 ppm(v) (expressed as methane) by the catalytic oxidation apparatus.
13. A carbon dioxide purification apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said adsorbing apparatus and said catalytic oxidation apparatus together remove approximately 80% to 100% of the non-methane hydrocarbons from the feed gas.
14. A carbon dioxide purification apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein said product gas stream has a sufficiently high caloric value that said catalytic oxidation can proceed autogenously.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An image forming apparatus for forming monochromatic images only with toner of a specific color, said apparatus comprising:
a latent image carrier capable of carrying thereon an electrostatic latent image;
a developing unit having a plurality of cartridges each of which is freely mounted to and removed from said developing unit and contains the toner of the specific color; and
a controller which performs a printing operation while selectively transferring one of the cartridges mounted to said developing unit to a development position, the printing operation in which the electrostatic latent image on said latent image carrier is developed using the toner in the cartridge positioned at the development position, wherein
said controller is arranged to be able to conduct any of a plurality of different print preparatory process modes to be conducted prior to the printing operation to enable the printing operation by means of the cartridge, selects one print preparatory process mode from the plurality of print preparatory process modes according to operating conditions of the apparatus, and conducts the selected mode.
2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein
said controller is arranged to be able to conduct a first and a second print preparatory process modes as the plurality of print preparatory process modes,
in the plurality of print preparatory process modes, a print preparatory operation is conducted on the cartridge prior to the printing operation in order to enable the printing operation by means of the cartridge,
in the first print preparatory process mode, one of the cartridges mounted to said developing unit is defined as a priority cartridge and the print preparatory operation is conducted only on the priority cartridge, and
in the second print preparatory process mode, the print preparatory operation is conducted collectively on all the plurality of cartridges mounted to said developing unit.
3. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein
said developing unit is arranged that M (M\u22673) cartridges are mountable to and removable from said developing unit,
said controller is arranged to be able to conduct a third print preparatory process mode as the print preparatory process mode, and
in the third print preparatory process mode, N (M>N\u22672) cartridges out of the M (M\u22673) cartridges mounted to said developing unit are defined as selected cartridges and the print preparatory operation is conducted only on the selected cartridges.
4. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein
said controller conducts, as the print preparatory operation, a mounting confirmation operation to confirm that the cartridges are mounted to said developing unit.
5. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein
said controller conducts, as the print preparatory operation, a suitability confirmation operation to confirm that the cartridges mounted to said developing unit have the toner of the specific color.
6. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein
said controller conducts, as the print preparatory operation, a life confirmation operation to confirm that a required amount of toner for performing the printing operation remains in the cartridge mounted to said developing unit.
7. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein
each of the plurality of cartridges comprises a toner carrier which rotates in a predetermined direction while carrying toner on its surface thereby conveying the toner to a position opposite to said Latent image carrier, and wherein
said controller conducts, as the print preparatory operation, an agitation process to cause the toner carrier to rotate at least one round.
8. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein
said controller conducts, as the print preparatory operation, a condition control process to adjust a printing operation condition to a predetermined optimum condition, the printing operation condition under which the printing operation is performed by means of the cartridge mounted to said developing unit.
9. An image forming method of forming monochromatic image only with toner of a specific color by means of an apparatus which comprises a latent image carrier capable of carrying thereon an electrostatic latent image, and a developing unit having a plurality of cartridges each of which is freely mounted to and removed from said developing unit and contains the toner of the specific color, said method comprising:
a step of performing a printing operation while selectively transferring one of the cartridges mounted to said developing unit to a development position, the printing operation in which the electrostatic latent image on said latent image carrier is developed using the toner in the cartridge positioned at the development position,
a plurality of different print preparatory process modes to be conducted prior to the printing operation to enable the printing operation by means of the cartridge,
a step of selecting one print preparatory process mode from the plurality of print preparatory process modes according to operating conditions of the apparatus, and
a step of conducting the selected mode.
10. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a latent image carrier capable of carrying thereon an electrostatic latent image;
a developing unit having M (M\u22673) cartridges which are freely mounted to and removed from said developing unit and which contain toner of a specific color; and
a controller which performs a printing operation while selectively transferring one of the cartridges mounted to said developing unit to a development position, the printing operation in which the electrostatic latent image on said latent image carrier is developed using the toner in the cartridge positioned at the development position, wherein
said controller is arranged to be able to select and conduct one of a first, a second and a third print preparatory process modes before the printing operation to enable the printing operation by means of the cartridge, according to operating conditions of the apparatus,
in the first print preparatory process mode, one of the cartridges mounted to said developing unit is defined as a priority cartridge and a print preparatory operation is conducted only on the priority cartridge,
in the second print preparatory process mode, a print preparatory operation is conducted collectively on all M cartridges mounted to said developing unit, and
in the third print preparatory process mode, N (M>N\u22672) cartridges out of the M cartridges mounted to said developing unit are defined as selected cartridges and a print preparatory operation is conducted only on the selected cartridges.
11. An image forming method comprising:
providing a latent image carrier capable of carrying thereon an electrostatic latent image;
providing a developing unit having M (M\u22673) cartridges which are freely mounted to and removed from said developing unit and which contain toner of a specific color; and
performing a printing operation while selectively transferring one of the cartridges mounted to said developing unit to a development position, the printing operation being one in which the electrostatic Latent image on said latent image carrier is developed using the toner in the cartridge positioned at the development position,
selecting and conducting one print preparatory process mode from first, second and third print preparatory process modes before the printing operation to enable the printing operation by means of the cartridge, according to operating conditions of the apparatus,
in the first print preparatory process mode, defining one of the cartridges mounted to said developing unit as a priority cartridge and conducting a print preparatory operation only on the priority cartridge,
in the second print preparatory process mode, conducting a print preparatory operation collectively on all M cartridges mounted to said developing unit, and
in the third print preparatory process mode, defining N (M>N\u22672) cartridges out of the M cartridges mounted to said developing unit as selected cartridges and conducting a print preparatory operation only on the selected cartridges.