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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
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.
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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Schmidt et al., US Patent No. 9,670,418 (hereinafter referred to as Schmidt).
Regarding claim 1, Schmidt discloses a process and system for the production of olefins (as recited in claim 1) (see Claim 1; Fig. 5), the process comprising (a) in a mixed feed steam cracking unit (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 5 (1)/(2)), subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon feed stream to conditions sufficient to produce olefin products and ethane hydrocarbons (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 5 (C)/(X)); (b) separating the ethane hydrocarbons from the olefin products to produce a ethane hydrocarbon stream (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 5 (4)-(5)) and an olefin products stream (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 5 (H)/(I)); (c) subjecting the ethane hydrocarbon stream to an ethane steam cracking unit under conditions sufficient to produce a C2+ hydrocarbons stream (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 5 (3), (D) and (V)); and (d) subjecting the C2+ hydrocarbons stream to the mixed feed steam cracking unit (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 5 (U)/(T) and (1)/(2)).
Regarding claims 2-5, 7-9 and 11-12, figure 3 shows the process wherein to the cracking furnace 1 which converts under normal cracking conditions, a cracking furnace 2 which converts under mild cracking conditions is also present here, as is, advantageously, a fresh input fractionation unit 7. A fresh input B (for example naphtha) is then fractionated in the fresh input fractionation unit 7 and the first fresh input fraction B1 is conducted into the cracking furnace 1, while the second fresh input fraction B2 is conducted into the cracking furnace 2. A fraction U is additionally recycled into the cracking furnace 1, and fractions T and P are additionally recycled into the cracking furnace 2. In addition, the cracking furnace 2 which converts under mild cracking conditions is supplied with a further input BL composed of hydrocarbons having a maximum carbon number of 6, as a fresh input. The cracking product stream X emerges from the cracking furnace 2. The cracking product stream X is at a temperature advantageously between 700°C and 800°C. The product streams C and X are processed further in the processing unit 4 and combined at a suitable point to give a common product stream. The processing unit 4 also leads, as just described, to the product fractions E to N. The product fractions L and M too, as just described, are treated further in the specific processing units 5 and 6. The fraction P comprising hydrocarbons having a carbon number of 4 is advantageously also recycled not into the cracking furnace 1 but into the cracking furnace 2. In FIG. 3, various inputs for the cracking furnace are conducted. These then form the second hydrocarbon input. The inputs shown in FIG. 3 for the second cracking furnace B2, BL, T and P need not always all be conducted into the cracking furnace 2; instead, it is sufficient in many cases to conduct some of the possible inputs into the cracking furnace 2 which converts under mild cracking conditions (see Figures 3 and 5 and Col. 8-9/L. 19-17 and Col. 9/L. 26-34).
Regarding claims 6 and 14, see discussion above.
Regarding claims 10 and 13, Schmidt does not explicitly disclose the pressure for steps (a) and (c). It is the position of the examiner that pressure in reaction conditions is a result effective variable and as such can be optimized without undue experimentation. Discovery of optimum value of result effective variable in known process is ordinarily within the skill in the art and would have been obvious, consult In re Boesch and Slaney (205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Hofel et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0088482 (hereinafter referred to as Hofel).
Regarding claims 1-14, Hofel discloses a process and system for the production of olefins (as recited in claim 1) (see Claim 1; Fig. 1), the process comprising (a) in a mixed feed steam cracking unit (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 1 (1a)), subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon feed stream to conditions sufficient to produce olefin products and ethane hydrocarbons (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 1 (b)); (b) separating the ethane hydrocarbons from the olefin products to produce a ethane hydrocarbon stream (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 1 (3)-(9)) and an olefin products stream (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 1 (C2H6)-(C2H4)); (c) subjecting the ethane hydrocarbon stream to an ethane steam cracking unit under conditions sufficient to produce a C2+ hydrocarbons stream (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 1)); and (d) subjecting the C2+ hydrocarbons stream to the mixed feed steam cracking unit (as recited in claim 1) (see Fig. 1 (1a)).
The “cracking conditions” in a cracking furnace mentioned above encompass inter alia the partial pressure of the furnace feed, which may be influenced by the addition of different amounts of steam and the pressure selected in the cracking furnace, the dwell time in the cracking furnace and the temperatures and temperature profiles used therein. The furnace geometry and configuration also play a part. To produce ethylene, a cracking furnace is typically operated at a furnace entry temperature of 500 to 680° C and at a furnace exit temperature of 775 to 875° C. The pressure used, also measured at the end of one or more reaction tubes, is typically 165 to 225 kPa. Steam is mixed with the furnace feed in a ratio of typically 0.25 to 0.85 kg of steam per kg of dry feed. The values used are dependent on the furnace feed used and the desired cracking products (Para. [0024]).
Conclusion
There were unused X references from the ISR report. The examiner is of the position that the prior art cited adequately reads on the claims as instantly recited.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Fickel et al., US Patent No. 11,203,558 (Fickle) discloses
A process for producing olefins comprising introducing butane feed (n-butane, i-butane) and hydrogen to hydrogenolysis reactor comprising hydrogenolysis catalyst to produce a hydrogenolysis product stream (hydrogen, methane, ethane, propane, i-butane, optionally n-butane, optionally C.sub.5+ hydrocarbons); and feeding the hydrogenolysis product stream and hydrogen to hydrocracking reactor comprising a hydrocracking catalyst to produce hydrocracking product stream (hydrogen, methane, ethane, propane, i-butane, optionally n-butane), wherein the amount of i-butane in the hydrocracking product stream is less than in the hydrogenolysis product stream, and wherein the amount of ethane in the hydrocracking product stream is greater than in the hydrogenolysis product stream. The hydrocracking product stream is separated into first hydrogen stream, first methane stream, first C.sub.2+ gas stream (ethane, propane), first C.sub.4s stream (i-butane, optionally n-butane), optionally C.sub.5+ stream; and the first C.sub.2+ gas stream is fed to gas steam cracker to produce a steam cracker product stream comprising olefins (ethylene, propylene).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISHAL V VASISTH whose telephone number is (571)270-3716. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-4:30 and 7:00-10:00p.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Prem Singh can be reached at 5712726381. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VISHAL V VASISTH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1771
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