Appeal 2005-2547
Application 10/134,817
of the commercial applications previously mentioned” (e.g., as a drilling
mud containing the polymer as a stabilizer) (Venema, col. 1, ll. 57-65).
In the process, water is introduced into water line 27 and, if necessary,
the pressure is increased by pump 29 (Venema, col. 3, ll. 34-461). A
surfactant mixes in-line with the water before an emulsion containing the
polymer is added (Venema, col. 3, ll. 46-48). Venema illustrates the
surfactant addition as taking place just downstream from the pump 29, valve
32, and water meter 34 (the Figure). Venema further illustrates feeding the
polymer-containing emulsion into the water/surfactant mixture within
conduit 16, at a point near the inlet end 3 of a Static Mixer 1 (the Figure; see
also Venema, col. 2, l. 65 to col. 3, l. 20). “The placement of a surfactant
into the water and subsequent mixing with the polymer emulsion in the
Static Mixer causes the emulsion to rapidly invert and release the polymer in
the form of an aqueous solution.” (Venema, col. 7, ll. 62-65). Activation of
the polymer (swelling of the polymer to form a thickened solution) does not
occur until 5 to 25 minutes after mixing in the Static Mixer (Venema, col. 9,
33-49).
Venema includes an example in which the pressure drop across the
Static Mixer was approximately 20-25 psig (Venema, col. 4, ll. 37-39), and
Venema further discloses that the pressure drop can vary depending on
various factors but usually should be within the range of 5-40 psig (Venema,
col. 4, ll. 39-40). In order to convey the solution through the Static Mixer,
the pressure within conduit 16 must be greater than the pressure drop within
1 The word “weather” as used in column 3, line 34 of Venema is clearly a
typographical error properly corrected to read “water.”
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