Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
A process for treating a carbonaceous pitch comprising: (a) mixing said pitch with an organic fluxing liquid to form a fluid pitch; (b) heating said fluid pitch at temperatures in the range of from about 350° C. to about 450° C.; (c) separating solids suspended in said heated, fluid pitch; (d) treating said fluid pitch with an organic solvent system having a solubility parameter at 25° C. of between about 8.0 and about 9.5, said treating being at a temperature and with an amount of organic solvent system sufficient to provide a solvent insoluble fraction thermally convertible into a deformable pitch containing greater than 75% of an optically anisotropic phase; and (e) recovering said solvent insoluble fraction.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
117 words
A process for treating a carbonaceous pitch comprising: (a) mixing said pitch with an organic fluxing liquid to form a fluid pitch; (b) heating said fluid pitch at temperatures in the range of from about 350° C. to about 450° C.; (c) separating solids suspended in said heated, fluid pitch; (d) treating said fluid pitch with an organic solvent system having a solubility parameter at 25° C. of between about 8.0 and about 9.5, said treating being at a temperature and with an amount of organic solvent system sufficient to provide a solvent insoluble fraction thermally convertible into a deformable pitch containing greater than 75% of an optically anisotropic phase; and (e) recovering said solvent insoluble fraction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said fluxing liquid is selected from the group consisting of light aromatic gas oils, heavy aromatic gas oils, toluene, xylene and tetralin.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said pitch is heated for a time ranging from about 30 minutes to about 300 minutes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 3 wherein said organic fluxing liquid is employed in the range of about 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of liquid per part of pitch.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the weight ratio of fluxing liquid to pitch is in the range of 0.5 to 1:1.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said pitch is cooled to a temperature below said heating temperature before separating solids suspended in said pitch.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
162 words
A process for preparing a feedstock suitable for carbon artifact manufacture comprising: (a) providing an isotropic carbonaceous pitch; (b) mixing said pitch with an organic fluxing liquid to form a fluid pitch; (c) continuously feeding said fluid pitch to a heat zone maintained at a temperature in the range of about 350° C. to about 450° C., while (d) simultaneously removing fluid pitch from said heating zone to a cooling zone maintained at a temperature below the temperature in said heating zone, the rate of feeding and removing fluid pitch from the heating zone sufficient to provide a residence time therein of about 30 minutes to about 300 minutes; (e) removing the heated fluid pitch from the cooling zone and separating solids therefrom; (f) treating said fluid pitch with an organic solvent system in an amount sufficient to precipitate that fraction of said pitch which is capable of being thermally converted to an optically anisotropic phase; and, (g) recovering said precipitated fraction.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
162 words
A process for preparing a feedstock suitable for carbon artifact manufacture comprising: (a) providing an isotropic carbonaceous pitch; (b) mixing said pitch with an organic fluxing liquid to form a fluid pitch; (c) continuously feeding said fluid pitch to a heat zone maintained at a temperature in the range of about 350° C. to about 450° C., while (d) simultaneously removing fluid pitch from said heating zone to a cooling zone maintained at a temperature below the temperature in said heating zone, the rate of feeding and removing fluid pitch from the heating zone sufficient to provide a residence time therein of about 30 minutes to about 300 minutes; (e) removing the heated fluid pitch from the cooling zone and separating solids therefrom; (f) treating said fluid pitch with an organic solvent system in an amount sufficient to precipitate that fraction of said pitch which is capable of being thermally converted to an optically anisotropic phase; and, (g) recovering said precipitated fraction.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said fluxing liquid is selected from the group consisting of light aromatic gas oils, heavy aromatic gas oils, toluene, xylene and tetralin in an amount ranging from about 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of liquid per part of pitch.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 8 wherein the weight ratio of fluxing liquid to pitch is in the range of 0.5 to 1:1.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
The process of claim 9 wherein said organic solvent system for treating said pitch is one having a solubility parameter at 25° C. of between about 8.0 and 9.5 whereby said fraction of said pitch precipitated is capable of being thermally converted into deformable pitch containing greater than 75% of an optically anisotropic phase.