Appeal No. 1998-2012
Application 08/657,556
liquid state, the gas state being comprised of essentially
oxygen and the liquid state being comprised of hydrogen
fluoride and water; and
(e) distilling the mixed gas and liquid state in a
separation unit to produce the anhydrous hydrogen fluoride as
a distillate and a liquid stream of hydrogen fluoride and
water azeotrope.
According to the examiner (Answer, pp. 3-4):
Mestepey teaches the production of solid triuranium
octoxide in a two-step process. The first step is
the gas-phase reaction of depleted uranium
hexafluoride with a recycle mixture of hydrogen
fluoride (HF) and steam, which may further contain
fresh steam if desired. This affords solid uranyl
fluoride and a gaseous mixture of hydrogen fluoride
and steam. The uranyl fluoride is fed into a second
reactor and treated with fresh steam to make
triuranium octoxide and a second gaseous mixture
comprising oxygen, steam and hydrogen fluoride (col.
2, lines 16-51). The gaseous products of the two
steps are combined, condensed and separated into two
streams. One consists of oxygen and anhydrous
hydrogen fluoride, and the second consists of
azeotropic hydrogen fluoride and water. The
azeotrope is vaporized and recycled to the first
reactor.
The examiner points out that appellants' claimed method
is very similar to the process disclosed in Mestepey with the
exception that the first reaction in the claimed method is
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