DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 1/6/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
The rejection of the claims under 35 USC 103 have been modified as necessitated by the amendments and provided below. Previous rejection under 35 USC 112 is withdrawn in view of the amendment to claim 1.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/6/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues (C.i) Brown in view of Morel fails to teach the claimed olefins and aromatics which are produced by steam cracking of naphtha. Reply, p. 6-7.
Applicants argument is not persuasive. In response, the rejection of amended claim 1 includes steam cracking of the naphtha stream from Brown in view of Morel to produce light olefins and aromatics. This is addressed in the new rejection below.
Applicant argues (C.ii) Brown and Morel fail to disclose the feed stream of the present claim. Reply, p. 8. Applicant argues Morel teaches separating the first cracked stream into a naphtha-gas oil, a vacuum gas oil, and a resid, however, the naphtha is not further treated in Morel and the VGO is sent to further hydrocracking.
Applicants argument is not persuasive. In response, in view of the amended claims, Al-Ghamdi is used to modify the rejection of Brown and Morel. Al-Ghamdi teaches steam cracking a mixed stream comprising wild naphtha from upstream hydroprocessing to produce olefin and aromatic products.
Applicant argues (C.iii) Morel fails to teach the fuels processing steps and (iv) the light fractions of Brown and Morel are not equal, having different boiling points. Applicant argues that Brown teaches separating a light stream with a boiling point less than 427° C from a heavy stream, but Morel teaches separating multiple fractions of which naphtha, gasoil and a portion of the vacuum gas oil would fall within 427° C. Applicant states one would not be motivated to recombine the streams of Morel into a single light fraction. Reply, p. 8-9.
Applicants argument is not persuasive. In response, in further processing the broad light stream of Brown, one of ordinary skill would be motivated to treat the combined feed in hydroprocessing reaction zone or isolate fractions and treat each individually as shown in Morel and Al-Ghamdi and as is common in upgrading petroleum fractions. There is no suggestion in the combination to separate fractions and recombine for upgrading.
Applicant argues (D.i) the steam cracker feeds of Al-Ghamdi are different than the current claims. Reply, p. 11-12. Applicant points out that the stream of Al-Ghamdi fed to the steam cracker is a fraction from a hydrocracking unit and does not first pass through additional hydrocracking. Further, Applicant points out that the stream to steam cracking in Al-Ghamdi boiling point ends at 370° C, but the naphtha stream of Morel ends at 180° C. Applicant argues one of skill would recognize the differences in processing these two streams.
Applicants argument is not persuasive. In response, Al-Ghamdi teaches using one or more of a number of previously upgraded naphtha streams, and the disclosure would suggest each of the naphtha streams from the process of Brown in view of Morel could be treated in the mixed feed stream cracking reactor. Additionally, Al-Ghamdi also teaches upgrading vacuum resid in a hydrocracking reactor (first cracking reactor) (0383), sending a gasoil product stream to a gas oil hydroprocessing reactor (second cracking reactor)(0383; see also e.g. 0208), and sending naphtha from the gasoil hydroprocessing reactor to the mixed feed steam cracker (e.g. 0261; 0095-0096).
Applicant argues (D.ii) there is no basis to combine the cited references. Reply, p. 12-13.
In response, each of the three references are in the related art of processing hydrocarbons to produce fuels and petrochemicals. Brown and Morel both teach treating a resid in a hydroprocessing unit; separating the effluent into a heavy and at least one other fraction; treating the heavy fraction using deasphalting and downstream upgrading. Al-Ghamdi teaches an integrated process for producing fuels and petrochemicals, including vacuum resid hydroprocessing and upgrading of the light fraction. Combination of the Morel and Al-Ghamdi with Brown creates an integrated process for upgrading the heavy portion of cracked resid as in Brown while also upgrading the remaining effluent to produce multiple products in an integrated process.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown (US 2016/0298048) in view of Morel (US 2016/0177202) and Al-Ghamdi (US 2018/0155642).
With respect to claims 1, 15, and 16, Brown, directed to “processing deasphalted gas oils derived from thermally cracked resid fractions to form Group I, Group II, and/or Group III lubricant base oils” (abstract). Brown teaches providing a feedstock which may include residues having 10% distillation point of at least 650F or at least 1050F (par. [0041]). Brown teaches exposing the feed to thermal cracking conditions” (par. [0054], [0075]), including hydrocracking in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst (par. [0054], [0026]). The cracked product may be separated into “lower boiling portions (such as naphtha and diesel boiling range compounds) from one or more portions having a boiling range suitable for forming lubricant base oils” such as 700F+ (par. [0075], [0076]). The lower boiling portion includes gas oil range components. With respect to the remaining light fraction, Brown teaches the light fractions may be sent to fuels processing (Figure 3).
The heavy stream or only the resid portion of the heavy stream is deasphalted to produce a stream comprising de-asphalted oil (par. [0075]+). The de-asphalted oil is hydrocracked in a partial conversion (see par. [0092] at least 10% conversion) hydrocracking unit under partial conversion conditions to produce one or more lubricating base oils (par. [0084], [0092]); wherein the partial conversion hydrocracking conditions produces naphtha (par. [0097]), diesel (par. [0097]), and unconverted oil that is subject to further hydroprocessing to produce lubricant base oil (par. [0099]). The further hydroprocessing may include hydrotreating, hydrocracking, hydrofnishing, hydrodewaxing (par. [0097]-[0121]).
Brown is silent regarding subjecting, in a maximum conversion hydrocracking unit comprising more than one reaction stage, at least a portion of the first stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions to form a fifth stream comprising naphtha, steam-cracking the naphtha of the fifth stream to produce one or more olefins and/or one or more aromatics;
subjecting a second portion of the third stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking to produce additional naphtha; and
flowing a fourth stream comprising a heavy fraction from the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit to the de-asphalting unit.
Morel, directed to vacuum residue upgrading and fuels processing, teaches a process for conversion of residue hydrocarbon using hydrocracking, corresponding to the first hydrocracking/thermal cracking of Brown, and separation into at least a heavy and light fraction. The heavy fraction may be processed using solvent deasphalting, as in Brown. The light fraction is subject to hydrocracking to produce a naphtha fraction, gas oil fraction, and an unconverted fraction which may be recycled back to the initial hydrocracking reaction or passed to the solvent deasphalting unit (Figure 2-3). The light fraction hydrocracking unit operates under the same conditions as claimed in the instant application. Thus, the art satisfies the claim limitation for maximum conversion hydrocracking. With respect to the hydrocracking conversion, Morel teaches using two stage wherein the first stage is 30-60% and the second stage converts more of the unconverted portion increasing the conversion (0030). Morel teaches sending a portion of the deasphalted oil to hydrocracking with the initial light stream for increased product (Figure 3).
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Brown by treating the gas oil and all or portion of the deasphalted oil stream in a hydroconversion reaction zone for the production of naphtha as taught in Morel because both are directed to production of fuels and chemicals from residual hydrocarbons using hydrocracking and downstream treatment of the hydrocracked effluent, Brown teaches a desire for processing the hydrocracked light fraction and Morel teaches specific steps for upgrading the same, and the combination of the two combines known processes in an expected manner to do no more than obtain predictable results of upgrading the gas oil to produce naphtha and other hydrocarbon products.
Brown in view of Morel is silent regarding further comprising steam-cracking the naphtha of the fifth stream to produce light olefins and/or BTX.
Al-Ghamdi is directed to an integrated process and system for conversion of crude oil to petrochemicals (aromatics and olefins) and fuel products using mixed feed steam cracking (title; abstract; 0002). Al-Ghamdi teaches wherein the naphtha range streams, including one or more of straight run naphtha, wild naphtha from individual hydrotreating or hydrocracking units, and other refinery product streams, is passed to steam cracking zone that operates under parameters to crack the feed into desired products including ethylene, propylene, butadiene, and mixed butenes (0426-0429). The integrated units may include resid hydrocracking to produce heavy fraction that is passed to base oil production zone and a light fraction which may be passed to one of the integrated hydroprocessing zones (0838), the integrated hydroprocessing zones then producing a naphtha that is passed to steam cracking (throughout; 0427).
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Brown and Morel by sending the naphtha or light product fractions produced with one or more of the refining units to a steam cracking reactor as taught in Al-Ghamdi to create an integrated process for producing olefin products given each of the references are directed to production of fuels and petrochemicals from heavy petroleum feed using an integrated set of refining units, Al-Ghamdi teaches sending any number of wild naphtha streams, with or without other fractions, produced from hydroprocessing intermediate streams to a mixed feed steam cracker to produce olefins, Al-Ghamdi can be integrated Brown and Morel which teaches forming such boiling range streams, and the combination is within the skill of one in the art and would merely apply process steps in a known way to yield predictable results.
With respect to claims 2 and 7, Brown teaches low severity hydrocracking with an LHSV of 0.5-20 hr-1, which when converted to a WHSV which encompasses 10 hr-1 and overlaps the range of 0.05 to 10 hr-1.
With respect to claim 3, Morel is silent regarding wherein the heavy fraction of the stream from hydrocracking comprises primarily polyaromatic hydrocarbons and other hydrocarbons with a boiling range of above 350 collectively, but the same feeds and conditions are expected to produce a fraction overlapping or similar to that claimed.
With respect to claim 4, Brown teaches deasphalting with an alkane having 3 to 6 carbon atoms (0077).
With respect to claim 5, Brown teaches wherein the feed to deasphalting may be 800F+ (0076), thus the DAO would fall within the range of primarily hydrocarbons boiling above 400C.
With respect to claim 6, Brown teaches wherein the partial conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a reaction temperature of 288-449 C, which encompasses 300 to 450 °C, and a reaction pressure of 1500-5000 psig, which overlaps 80 to 200 bar (0095).
With respect to claims 8-10, Morel teaches wherein the hydrocracking conditions comprise a reaction temperature of 300-550C, which encompasses 300 to 450 °C, and a reaction pressure of 5-35 MPa, which encompasses 80 to 200 bar, and an LHSV of 0.1-10h-1, which overlaps WHSV of 0.05-10hr-1 (0033-0035).
With respect to claim 11, Brown teaches wherein the partial conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a reaction temperature of 288-449C, pressure of 1500-5000 psig (0095). Morel teaches temperature of 300-550C, which encompasses 300 to 450 °C, and a reaction pressure of 5-35 MPa, which encompasses 80 to 200 bar (0033-0035).
With respect to claims 12 and 13, Brown teaches wherein the hydroprocessing is dewaxing and conditions include a weight ratio of hydrogen to feed in a range of 1,000-10,000 scf/b, which when converted to mass falls within a range overlapping the claimed range of 0.1% to 15%, and a temperature in the range of 300-450C, which falls within 200-450C, and a hydrogen pressure of 500-5000 psig, which encompasses a total pressure of 20-200 bar.
With respect to claim 14, Morel teaches hydrocracking to produce naphtha and diesel (figures 1-3).
With respect to claims 17-20, Brown teaches wherein the deasphalting produces 85% or less DAO, with the remaining deasphalting residue (0078), which is a pitch stream (evidenced by Morel).
Conclusion
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/BRANDI M DOYLE/Examiner, Art Unit 1771