DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, Claims 1, 3-9 and 14-16, in the reply filed on 07/17/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The recitation of “…essentially free of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide” is indefinite. A person skilled in the art would not be able to ascertain how much CO/CO2 can be in a stream before it can be considered essentially free of CO/CO2. The scope of these claims cannot be determined because it is unclear what concentration of these components would read on the required limitation and what amount of these components would be excluded from this limitation to be considered “essentially free of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Reed US1639272.
Regarding claim 1, the Reed reference teaches a cyclic process for ammonia production with two converters (Pg. 1, lines 27-30). The reference teaches that hydrogen and nitrogen are introduced to the first ammonia production unit A where ammonia is formed (Pg. 4, lines 27-31). Since carbon components are not introduced or produced, this product is considered to be free of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The unconverted hydrogen and nitrogen are separated from the produced ammonia and passed onto the second ammonia production unit A’ (Pg. 4, lines 35-42). This unconverted mixture of separated gases is considered to read on the purge gas of the claim. The converter A' has a catalyst D’ which would contact this pure gas (See Fig. 1 and Pg. 2, lines 110-125).
Regarding claim 14, the reference teaches argon is present in the system (Pg. 4, line 80). Since this is an inert gas it would be expected to be present in the purge gas.
Claim(s) 1 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nurse et al. US 20150251918.
Regarding claims 1 and 14, Nurse et al. teaches a system and method for producing ammonia. The first ammonia converter is adapted to react a syngas to produce a first ammonia product and a first purge gas (Abstract). The first purge gas has nitrogen, hydrogen and argon. The second ammonia converter is in fluid communication with the first ammonia converter and is be adapted to react with the first purge gas to produce an effluent (Para [0045]-[0046]). The first purge gas would be expected to be essentially free of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide because Nurse teaches using shift converters and one or more purification systems to remove carbon dioxide from syngas before it enters the first ammonia converter (Para [0044]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6 and 7, are allowed.
Claims 4, 5, 8, 9, 15 and 16 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Claim 3 requires “A method for the-reduction of a catalyst in an ammonia converter in an ammonia production system comprising at least a first and a second ammonia production unit, each ammonia production unit comprising at least:
• an ammonia converter generating a purge gas at a pressure ranging from above 140 bar to 290 bar and comprising:
• a low-pressure steam turbine for operating a gas compressor at a pressure ranging from 35 bar to 40 bar; and
• a gas compressor operable at a pressure ranging from 60 bar to 90 bar;
the method comprising steps of:
a) feeding low-pressure steam at a temperature ranging from 350 °C to 390 °C
and at a pressure ranging from 35 bar to 40 bar, to the low-pressure steam turbine of an ammonia converter of a first ammonia production unit, thereby operating the gas compressor; and
b) feeding the purge gas of the second ammonia production unit at a flow
ranging from 9,000 Nm³/h to 16,500 Nm³/h to the gas compressor of the ammonia converter of the first ammonia production unit.”
Reed US1639272 teaches ammonia producing using a first and second catalytic ammonia converters (See Fig. 1). However, the reference does no teach or suggest “…• a low-pressure steam turbine for operating a gas compressor at a pressure ranging from 35 bar to 40 bar; and
• a gas compressor operable at a pressure ranging from 60 bar to 90 bar;
the method comprising steps of:
a) feeding low-pressure steam at a temperature ranging from 350 °C to 390 °C
and at a pressure ranging from 35 bar to 40 bar, to the low-pressure steam turbine of an ammonia converter of a first ammonia production unit, thereby operating the gas compressor; and
b) feeding the purge gas of the second ammonia production unit at a flow
ranging from 9,000 Nm³/h to 16,500 Nm³/h to the gas compressor of the ammonia converter of the first ammonia production unit.”
Nurse et al. 20150251918 teaches a system and method for producing ammonia. The first ammonia converter is adapted to react a syngas to produce a first ammonia product and a first purge gas (Abstract). However, there is no teaching or suggestion regarding:
“… • a low-pressure steam turbine for operating a gas compressor at a pressure ranging from 35 bar to 40 bar; and
• a gas compressor operable at a pressure ranging from 60 bar to 90 bar;
the method comprising steps of:
a) feeding low-pressure steam at a temperature ranging from 350 °C to 390 °C
and at a pressure ranging from 35 bar to 40 bar, to the low-pressure steam turbine of an ammonia converter of a first ammonia production unit, thereby operating the gas compressor; and
b) feeding the purge gas of the second ammonia production unit at a flow
ranging from 9,000 Nm³/h to 16,500 Nm³/h to the gas compressor of the ammonia converter of the first ammonia production unit.”
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SYED TAHA IQBAL whose telephone number is (571)270-5857. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 7-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anthony Zimmer can be reached at (571) 270-3591. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SYED T IQBAL/ Examiner, Art Unit 1736
/ANTHONY J ZIMMER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1736
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