Appeal No. 94-3287
Application 07/835,152
butane/air mixture flowing therethrough. As a result of this
suppression, the appellants’ claimed process can be operated
under certain process conditions (e.g., higher pressures such as
20 psig to thereby effect greater yields) which would promote an
autoignition problem in the absence of the aforementioned agent.
Although Umemura is directed to a process for the
manufacture of maleic anhydride, this reference does not address
the problem of autoignition. Instead, Umemura is concerned with
a drawback arising from use of a carbon steel reactor in a maleic
anhydride process. This drawback involves the oxidation of
hydrocarbon reactant and maleic anhydride product on the interior
wall of such a reactor thereby resulting in low yield. According
to Umemura, this drawback is eliminated by treating the interior
of the carbon steel reactor with a phosphorus compound such as a
certain phosphate, phosphine, or phosphite compound. Umemura
characterizes his invention with the following language in the
first full paragraph on page 3 of the translation copy:
Regarding the method for manufacturing
maleic anhydride using the above-mentioned
carbon steel reactor, this invention provides
an extremely simple and effective method for
treatment of the reactor that makes the
manufacture of high yields of maleic
anhydride possible with virtually no wasteful
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