Agfa-Gevaert Ag

Peter Dawidowitsch

Erwin Geyken

Helmut Schausberger

The apparatus includes a washing unit at which film is washed with wash water, including a wash-water tank containing a body of wash water, and also a drier unit from which drying air is continually exhausted. Exhausted drying air from the drier unit is transmitted into the body of wash water in the wash-water tank. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, exhausted drying air is transmitted into the outflow conduit system for spent wash water. The wash water becomes oxygen-enriched and when sewered the oxygen demand of any processing fluids in the wash water poses a reduced threat to lifeforms in rivers and streams. Disposal of exhausted drying air in this way eliminates the need for chimney discharge, and the like.

Wet-processing apparatus for photographic emulsion carriers with novel

An arrangement for developing latent images includes a mechanism for conveying an article which carries a latent image over a succession of containers which accommodate a developer, a washing fluid, a fixer and a washing fluid respectively. A pressure chamber is arranged above each container and the article passes through the pressure chambers. A pump is associated with each pressure chamber and pumps the respective fluid therein for contact with the article. A sensing device located at an upstream end of the arrangement senses the length of the article and causes a quantity of fresh developer, which is related to the size of the article, to be admitted into the container with the developer. Concomitantly, a corresponding amount of contaminated developer flows out of the container and into a collecting vessel. The sensing device activates a source of chemical neutralizing fluid and causes a quantity of the latter, which is related to the size of the article, to be admitted into the collecting vessel for neutralizing the contaminated developer. The container with the fixing bath is connected with a chamber which is provided with a pair of electrodes and the sensing device is also effective for causing current to be supplied to the electrodes so as to permit regeneration of contaminated fixer. The sensing device is further operative for causing a quantity of fresh washing fluid to be admitted into the downstream washing bath. The latter is in communication with the upstream washing bath so that washing fluid may be recycled between these baths. The downstream washing bath is provided with an outflow conduit so that, when the level in the washing bath exceeds a predetermined level, contaminated washing fluid flows out of the downstream washing bath. This contaminated washing fluid flows to the same collecting vessel as the contaminated developer for neutralization.

Method and arrangement for the development of latent images particularly

In a method for separately treating the used developing fluid from the remaining used photographic processing fluids prior to feeding the used fluids to a sewer system. The used developing fluid is continually withdrawn from the developing tank and chemically neutralized in a collecting vessel by a chemical oxidizing agent such as acetic acid or hydrogen peroxide prior to feeding the fluid to a sewer system. The method includes the continued withdrawal of spent fixer fluid to a silver recovery device and recirculation of the regenerated fixer fluid to the fixer tank.

Method for treating photographic processing fluids prior to sewering

An arrangement for developing latent images includes a mechanism for conveying an article which carries a latent image over a succession of containers which accommodate a developer, a washing fluid, a fixer and a washing fluid, respectively. A pressure chamber is arranged above each container and the article passes through the pressure chambers. A pump is associated with each pressure chamber and pumps the respective fluid therein for contact with the article. A sensing device located at an upstream end of the arrangement senses the length of the article and causes a quantity of fresh developer to be admitted into the container with the developer. Concomitantly, a corresponding amount of contaminated developer flows out of the container and into a collecting vessel. The sensing device activates a source of chemical neutralizing fluid and causes a quantity of the latter to be admitted into the collecting vessel for neutralizing the contaminated developer. The container with the fixing bath is connected with a chamber which is provided with a pair of electrodes and the sensing device is also effective for causing current to be supplied to the electrodes so as to permit regeneration of contaminated fixer. The sensing device is further operative for causing a quantity of fresh washing fluid to be admitted into the downstream washing bath, which latter is in communication with the upstream washing bath. The downstream washing bath is provided with an outflow conduit so that, when the level in the washing bath exceeds a predetermined level, contaminated washing fluid flows out of the downstream washing bath and into the same collecting vessel as the contaminated developer.

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Munich, Germany

Peter Dawidowitsch