DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Amendments to the specification and to claim 14 are noted.
The amendments overcome the objections to the drawings, specification, and claim 14.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 15 July 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Sun’s demetallization catalyst is for removing metals and is not a hydrogenation catalyst. Thus, while the demetallization catalyst may comprise a supported catalyst, it does not meet the limitation of being a hydrogenation catalyst.
This argument is not found persuasive. The demetallization catalyst in Sun is a component of the hydroconversion catalyst system used in a hydroconversion process (see Abstract; [0009], “the slurry hydroconversion catalyst further comprises a demetallization catalyst”) and, thus, while it may function to remove metals, it is nevertheless still considered to be within the scope of the claimed embodiment.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 5-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Al-Sayed et al (US 2020/0291311) in view of Sundararaman et al (US 2015/0014216).
Regarding claims 5 and 6, Al-Sayed discloses a process for converting whole crudes and other heavy hydrocarbon streams to produce olefins and/or aromatics, the process comprising (see [0128]):
separating a whole crude into at least a light boiling fraction, a medium boiling fraction, and a high boiling residue fraction (see [0130]-[0134]);
separating the high boiling fraction in a solvent deasphalting (SDA) unit to produce a deasphalted oil (DAO) fraction and a pitch fraction (see [0135]);
destructively hydrogenating the DAO and the medium boiling fraction to produce a hydrotreated effluent (see [0136]); and
feeding the hydrotreated effluent and the light boiling fraction to a steam cracker to convert hydrocarbons therein into one or more light olefins and a pyrolysis oil (see [0137]).
Al-Sayed does not disclose the hydrogenation being carried out in the presence of a catalyst system comprising a supported hydrogenation catalyst and a self-supported hydrogenation catalyst.
Sundararaman is directed to slurry hydroconversion of a heavy oil feed using catalysts with enhanced activity in conjunction with demetallization catalyst(s) (see Abstract). The slurry hydroconversion catalyst comprises a bulk multimetallic (i.e., “self-supported” as claimed) catalyst comprising at least one non-noble Group VIII metal and at least one Group VIB metal (see [0007]; [0072]) and the demetallization catalyst comprises a supported catalyst (see [0085]). Use of these two catalysts together allows for heavy metals within the feedstock to preferentially absorb on the demetallization catalyst, thus minimizing deposition of the metals on the higher activity bulk hydrotreating catalyst (see [0085]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the instant claimed invention to modify the process of Al-Sayed to carry out hydrogenation under slurry hydroconversion conditions in the presence of a bulk catalyst and a supported demetallization catalyst, as suggested by Sundararaman, in order to preferentially absorb metals on the supported catalyst such that the higher activity bulk metallic catalyst may carry out conversion reactions. The use of the two together allows for removal of metal contaminants as well as conversion of the hydrocarbon feed.
Regarding claim 7, Al-Sayed discloses wherein the light boiling fraction has two or more of the following properties:
a 95% boiling point temperature int eh range from about 130 to about 200°C (see [0139]);
a hydrogen content of at least 14 wt% (see [0096])
a BMCI of less than 5 (see [0086]);
an API gravity of greater than 40° (see [0091]);
a sulfur content of less than 1000 ppm (see [0106]);
a nitrogen content of less than 10 ppm (see [0101]);
a viscosity, measured at 40°C, of less than 1 cSt (see [0111]);
less than 1 wt% MCRT (see [0115]); and
less than 1 ppm total metals (see [0119]).
Regarding claim 8, Al-Sayed discloses wherein the medium boiling fraction has two or more of the following properties:
a 5% boiling point temperature in the range from about 130 to about 200°C (see [0149]);
a 95% boiling point temperature in the range from about 400 to about 600°C (see [0150]);
a hydrogen content in the range from about 12 to about 14 wt% (see [0096])
a BMCI in the range from about 5 to less than 50 (see [0086]);
an API gravity in the range from about 10 to about 40° (see [0091]);
a sulfur content in the range from about 1000 to about 10,000 ppm (see [0106]);
a nitrogen content in the range from about 1 to about 100 ppm (see [0101]);
a viscosity, measured at 40°C, of less than 1 cSt (see [0111]);
less than 5 wt% MCRT (see [0115]); and
less than 50 ppm total metals (see [0119]).
Regarding claim 9, Al-Sayed discloses wherein the high boiling residue fraction has two or more of the following properties:
a 5% boiling point temperature in the range from about 400 to about 600°C (see [0160]);
a hydrogen content of less than 12 wt% (see [0096])
a BMCI of greater than 50 (see [0086]);
an API gravity of less than 10° (see [0091]);
a sulfur content of greater than 10,000 ppm (see [0106]);
a nitrogen content of greater than 100 ppm (see [0101])
a viscosity, measured at 100°C, of greater than 100 cSt (see [0111]);
greater than 5 wt% MCRT (see [0115]); and
greater than 50 ppm total metals (see [0119]).
Regarding claim 10, Al-Sayed discloses wherein an overall chemicals production of the feedstock is at least 65 wt%, based on the total amount of olefins produced as compared to a total feed rate (see [0169]).
Regarding claim 11, Al-Sayed discloses wherein destructively hydrogenating comprises converting hydrocarbons in the DAO to one or more steam crackable products (see [0051]; claim 6).
Regarding claim 12, Al-Sayed discloses wherein separating the whole crude comprises:
feeding the whole crude into a heater, producing a pre-heated hydrocarbon feedstock (see [0129]);
separating the pre-heated hydrocarbon feedstock in a separator into the light boiling fraction and an intermediate fraction (see [0130]);
feeding the intermediate fraction back to the heater, producing a heated intermediate fraction (see [0131]);
feeding a hydrogen stream to a hot hydrogen stripper (see [0132]);
separating the heated intermediate fraction in the hot hydrogen stripper into the medium boiling fraction and a hot hydrogen stripper bottoms fraction (see [0133]); and
cooling the hot hydrogen stripper bottoms fraction via indirect heat exchange against the intermediate fraction producing the high boiling residue fraction (see [0134]).
Regarding claim 13, Al-Sayed discloses wherein the light boiling fraction does not comprise hydrocarbons having a boiling point of greater than 160°C (see [0171]).
Regarding claim 14, Al-Sayed discloses wherein destructively hydrogenating the DAO fraction and the middle fraction comprises converting hydrocarbons in the DAO fraction and the middle fraction to primarily steam crackable products (see [0051]).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RENEE ROBINSON whose telephone number is (571)270-7371. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:00a-5:00p and Friday 8:00a-2:00p.
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/Renee Robinson/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772
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