Appeal 2007-0620
Application 10/323,626
discloses a reaction tank for, inter alia, any exothermic chemical reaction in
which there is radial heat exchanger medium flow and the reaction tank is
divided into three superposed sections 42', 42'', and 42''' that are not
connected to each other and have separate pumps and regulators, and thus, is
not combinable with Iwanaga and Smith (id. 10-11).
With respect to claim 1, the Examiner responds Smith teaches baffles
in tube-and-shell reactors used for exothermic reactions to control the
temperature and the absence of tubes in passage regions allows unrestricted
heat exchange medium flow from one baffle zone to another (Answer 7).
The Examiner maintains that one of ordinary skill in the art would have used
Smith’s reactor as Iwanaga’s tube-and-shell reactor for the exothermic
process taught therein wherein temperature control is important (id. 7-10).
The Examiner contends that Smith discloses bypass 13 as a preferred
embodiment which is not required (id. 10). With respect to claim 17, the
Examiner responds that while Smith’s Figs. 1 and 2 do not show all details
including whether a gap is present, it is disclosed that the catalyst tubes are
secured to the supporting plates and thus do not require the baffles for
support (id. 10). The Examiner further contends it would have been within
the ordinary skill in the art to design the reactor to facilitate tube
replacement and provide clearance between the tubes and baffles to
compensate for any tube expansion caused by high reaction temperature
(id. 11-12). With respect to claim 33, the Examiner responds that as
claimed, the reaction zones are separated in a largely liquid-tight manner and
thus, the zones are not connected in the same manner as the unconnected,
separate zones in Wanka (id. 13).
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