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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In line 2 of step (f), “cooling the converted the synthesis gas stream” should read, “cooling the converted synthesis gas stream”.
In line 5 of step (g6), “to obtain least” should read, “to obtain at least”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 15 is 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.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 15 recites the broad recitation “wherein the side draw for discharging the second synthesis gas stream depleted in carbon dioxide is arranged in the region of the mass transfer zones for the main scrubbing”, and the claim also recites “preferably in an intermediate space between the middle and the lower mass transfer zone” which is the narrower statement of the limitation. The claim is considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 is objected to because of minor informalities, but would be allowable if the informalities were corrected.
Claim 15 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 2-14 and 16-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Zhou (U.S. 2020/0231435 A1), Arumugam (U.S. 2021/0363443 A1, filed May 19th, 2021), Gubrinski (U.S. 2020/0339418 A1), and Szabo (U.S. 2021/0402347 A1, filed June 29th, 2021) are considered to be the closest prior to the instant invention.
Regarding claim 1 and its dependent claims 2-20, Zhou teaches a process for producing a hydrogen-rich synthesis gas stream from a carbon-containing input gas stream having reduced carbon dioxide emission (Zhou, Figs. 1-2 and 5, [0013], [0053]), comprising:
(a)-(c) providing a carbon-containing input gas stream, introducing the carbon-containing input gas stream into a partial oxidation synthesis gas production stage, and converting the carbon-containing input gas stream under synthesis gas production conditions and discharging a raw synthesis gas stream containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from the synthesis gas production statge (Zhou, Fig. 5, step 605, [0008]);
(d) introducing the raw synthesis gas stream into a fist cooling apparatus, cooling the raw synthesis gas stream in the first cooling apparatus, discharging the cooled raw synthesis gas stream from the first cooling apparatus (Zhou, [0036], interstage cooling);
(e) introducing the cooled raw synthesis gas stream into a CO conversion plant comprising a CO conversion stage, converting the cooled raw synthesis gas stream introduced into the CO conversion plant under CO conversion conditions to afford a converted synthesis gas stream, discharging the converted synthesis gas stream which is enriched in hydrogen and carbon dioxide and depleted in carbon monoxide relative to the raw synthesis gas stream (Zhou, [0038]-[0040], second reactor (WGS 2);
(f) introducing the converted synthesis gas stream into a second cooling apparatus, cooling the converted synthesis gas stream in the second cooling apparatus, discharging the cooled converted synthesis gas stream from the second cooling apparatus (Zhou, [0044], cooling downstream of the WGS process); and
(i) supplying a resulting hydrogen-rich synthesis gas stream to at least one further purifying step (Zhou, Fig. 5, step 620).
Zhou does not teach that the carbon-containing input gas stream is sulfur-free or desulfurized. Rather, Zhou opts to remove sulfur after syngas production (Zhou, Fig. 5, step 605). There is no teaching or suggestion in Zhou or the other cited prior art references that substituting Zhou’s sulfur removal post-syngas production would be interchangeable with providing a sulfur-free or desulfurized input gas stream beforehand.
Zhou does not teach a step (g) of introducing the cooled converted synthesis gas stream into a gas scrubbing carbon dioxide absorption column comprising the claimed components (g1)-(g6), step (h), or limitation (j). While Arumugam teaches that using an absorption column for scrubbing CO2 in syngas production is appropriate (Arumugam, Abstract), and Gubrinski teaches an absorption column having the claimed components (g1)-(g6) and (j) and a process including step (h) (Gubrinski, Fig. 1, [0051]-[0070]), the principle of Zhou’s invention is that an adsorbent column is used in place of a scrubbing column (Zhou, Fig. 5, step 620, [0009], [0047]-[0049]), and Zhou generally discourages CO2 removal by a scrubbing column because the processes involved are inefficient and costly (Zhou, [0006]). Therefore, it would not have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have modified Zhou’s method by substituting Zhou’s adsorbent column with Gubrinski’s scrubbing column on the basis of Arumugam’s teachings.
Zhou does teach a step (k) of utilizing a portion of carbon dioxide-depleted synthesis gas as a portion of a fuel gas, but this is discussed disparagingly (Zhou, [0006], “The tail gas produced by pressure swing adsorption is typically used as a fuel gas for heating value, resulting in significant loss of H2, rendering these processes to be inefficient and costly.”). A person having ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to enact this step. Based on the foregoing, the claim contains allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
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/ZACHARY JOHN BAUM/Examiner, Art Unit 1736
/ANTHONY J ZIMMER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1736
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