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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group 1 and Species 4 (Fig 5) in the reply filed on 1/8/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the method of use and the method of retrofitting require the system components of the elected claims. This is not found persuasive because the system may be operated by a materially different method, and the retrofitting of a system may be conducted under a different set of method steps than those laid forth in the claims. Further there is a different search and consideration for the method and retrofit over the system as claimed. If material is allowed that is present in the other independent claims the examiner is open to discussing rejoinder and allowance of such claims.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
While applicant elected claims 1-19 drawn to group 1 Applicant failed to elect claims drawn to Species 4. Upon review of the claims, claims 13 and 15 are not drawn to the elected Species 4 as they recite that the heat exchangers are in “series” and not “parallel” as in claims 12 and 14 and present in Species 4. As such Claims 13 and 15 will be considered withdrawn.
Claims 13,15,20-54 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Group and Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claims 1-12,14,16-19 will be examined on the merits.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 6 recites “a second reheat steam/media heat exchanger” in line 2 and then later recites “a second reheat steam/media heat exchanger” in line 5, where in context of the application specification it is understood that this is intended to be the same feature. It is suggested to correct this to “the second reheat….” In line 5. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1,16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by US Patent 9322295 to Pang.
As to claim 1, Pang discloses a housing (225) having an inlet configured to receive exhaust gas from a fired turbine (220), the housing configured to have an outlet and an internal gas exhaust flow path between the inlet and outlet (via 225);
superheater coils of heat exchanger tubes, the superheater coils located within the housing internal exhaust flow path downstream from the inlet (upstream most coils as shown in tube 225 Fig 2; Col 4, Line 19-35,Col 6, line 41-60);
a high pressure evaporator comprising coils located within the housing (middle coil in tube 225 Fig 2 Col 4, Line 19-35,Col 6, line 41-60) internal exhaust flow path downstream from the housing inlet and superheater coils;
additional downstream coils of heat exchanger tubes (downstream coil as shown in tube 225 Fig 2; Col 4, Line 19-35,Col 6, line 41-60), the said additional downstream stream coils located within the housing downstream of the high pressure evaporator coils, so that gas coming from the housing inlet can flow downstream through the superheater coils, through the high pressure evaporator coils and through the downstream coils towards the housing outlet (3 coils Fig 2);
a steam/media heat exchanger configured to receive steam from the heat recovery steam generator and to receive a flow of heat storage media (235), the steam/media heat exchanger being operable configured to transfer heat from the steam to the heat storage media and heat the heat storage media (Charging Mode); and
a storage hot tank in fluid communication with the steam/media heat exchanger (245), the storage tank being configured to receive the heated heat storage media from the steam/media heat exchanger and store the heated heat storage media (Charging mode).
As to claim 16, Pang discloses the thermal media is molten salt Co 5, line 2-10).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
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.
Claims 2-3,17,19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 9322295 to Pang as applied to claim 1 above in view of US Publication 20140223906 to Gee.
As to claim 2, Pang discloses a heat exchanger that receives a flow of water and receives the heated heat storage media stored in the hot tank from the hot tank (235 downstream most heat exchanger), the water/media heat exchanger being operable to transfer heat from the heated heat storage media to the water.
Pang does not expressly disclose the water/media heat exchanger being operable to transfer heat from the heated heat storage media to the water to produce steam and deliver the steam to the heat recovery steam generator or process.
While Pang discloses three heat exchangers (Fig 2) in the exhaust line, and how they can be superheat, and high pressure and lower pressure, it does not expressly state that the last heat exchanger is an economizer and that it is used to preheat water.
Gee discloses how HRSG in an exhaust line comprise a HP superheater, HP evaporator (as with Pang) and an HP economizer used to preheat water before being heated further to steam by an outside source (Par 0061, Fig 4,5).
At the time of invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the third downstream exhaust heat exchanger to be an economizer used to preheat the water to a state such that the water/media heat exchanger (downstream 235) that receives a flow of water and receives the heated heat storage media stored in the hot tank from the hot tank, the water/media heat exchanger being operable to transfer heat from the heated heat storage media to the water to produce steam and deliver the steam to the heat recovery steam generator or process using the teachings of Gee so as to preheat the water and then turn it into steam in a known manner to effectively recover heat in a staged progression from the exhaust while supplementing the water with further stored heat to increase overall system efficiency.
As to claim 3, Pang discloses the thermal energy storage system is adapted and configured to reduce the temperature of steam generated by the heat recovery steam generator and increase the temperature of the heat storage media when a power plant fed by the heat recovery steam generator is operating at reduced load or off design conditions, and wherein the thermal energy storage system is adapted and configured to utilize the stored heated heat storage media in the hot tank to generate steam using the water/media heat exchanger and supply the generated steam to the heat recovery steam generator when the power plant fed by the heat recovery steam generator is operating at peak load or a greater than peak load (Col 5, Line 49-Col 6 Line 40).
As to claim 17, Pang discloses the system is adapted and configured to be operated to transfer heat from the heated storage media to the water to produce steam and deliver the steam to the heat recovery steam generator to allow for a reduction in a gas turbine load while still producing steam at a rate sufficient for use by the steam turbine, wherein the gas turbine and the steam turbine are parts of a combined cycle power plant (Pang: Col 5, Line 49-Col 6 Line 40; Gee: Par 0061).
As to claim 19, Pang discloses wherein the water/media heat exchanger (downstream 235) is operable to transfer heat from the heated storage media to the water to produce steam (see rejection Claim 2 above) and deliver the steam to one or more of an existing heat recovery steam generator (remainder of heat recovery system Fig 2), an existing steam turbine of the existing heat recovery steam generator (230), an added steam turbine or added expander not part of an existing heat recovery steam generator, a steam driven pump (165), or a drive system for mechanical equipment (250).
Claims 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 9322295 to Pang as applied to claim 2 above in view of US Patent 10767556 to Bulat.
As to claim 18, Pang discloses how to use the thermal energy store to supplement power to the system during higher load requirements (Col 5, Line 49-Col 6 Line 40).
Pang does not expressly disclose the system is adapted and configured to be operated to transfer heat from the heated storage media to the water to produce steam to allow for the production of additional steam during high ambient temperatures.
Bulat discloses how during high ambient temperatures the air density is reduced resulting in lower power production per unit air, and how such reduction in power can be supplemented by increasing the temperature of the steam line using a supplemental heating unit (Col 3 Line 23-37).
At the time of invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Pang to include how the system is adapted and configured to be operated to transfer heat from the heated storage media to the water to produce steam to allow for the production of additional steam during high ambient temperatures using the teachings of Bulat so as to compensate for power loss as a result from high ambient temperatures by utilizing the system in place to already compensate for high power demand, increasing overall reaction of the system to prevent power dips or loss due to high ambient temperatures.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-12,14 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSE SAMUEL BOGUE whose telephone number is (571)270-1406. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00-5:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Laurenzi can be reached on 571-270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JESSE S BOGUE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746