Appeal No. 1998-2012
Application 08/657,556
Mestepey 5,346,684 Sept. 13, 1994
The sole issue in this appeal is whether claims 1-13 were
properly rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable
over Mestepey in view of Grant.
Discussion
The claimed invention is directed to a method for
recovering anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and a uranium oxide
product from uranium hexafluoride comprising the steps of:
(a) reacting the uranium hexafluoride in a first reactor
by contact with a liquid solution comprised of hydrogen
fluoride and water to produce an uranyl fluoride hydrate
intermediate;
(b) reacting the uranyl fluoride hydrate intermediate
with a gaseous water feed in a second reactor to produce the
uranium oxide product and a mixture comprised of water,
hydrogen fluoride and oxygen;
(c) boiling the liquid solution of hydrogen fluoride and
water from the first reactor to form a vapor and combining the
vapor with the mixture of water, hydrogen fluoride and oxygen
from the second reactor to form a combination;
(d) condensing the combination to form a mixed gas and
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