The present review represents a brief analysis of key statistical indicators for patent applications registered in patent offices around the world in 2018 and related to the issues of horizontal directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing of hydrocarbon reservoirs. As of the date of this publication the data was summarized from 2364 patent applications registered in 28 offices around the world and prepared by 534 applicants from 22...

Unconventional oil (Heavy oil, Oil shale, Oil sands) is becoming an increasingly important component of the hydrocarbon resource base, but its exploration, production and processing require a significant revision of traditional technologies, additional research and development of new technical solutions. To assess the prevailing research interests and identify the most productive authors and organizations, a selection of relevant...

Methanex Corporation was incorporated in 1968 and is a Canadian company, the world’s largest producer and supplier of methanol to the major international markets in Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and South America. The total annual production capacity of the company, including Methanex interests in jointly owned plants, is currently 9.4 million tonnes and is located in New Zealand, the United States, Trinidad, Egypt, Canada...

Suncor is an integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The company is focused on developing one of the world's largest petroleum resource basins – Canada's Athabasca oil sands. Suncor explores, acquires, develops, produces and markets crude oil and natural gas in Canada and internationally. The Company transports and refines crude oil, markets petroleum and petrochemical products, primarily in...

Among 974 patent applications relating to the production of unconventional oil, registered in patent offices around the world in 2018, and selected for examination in this overview, several documents stand out for having distinctive characteristics and deserve special attention. It is obvious that the evaluation of technical essence of an invention is extremely challenging and will be highly subjective. Therefore, the evaluative...

As a continuation of the previous overview dated 29.08.2019, where the general statistical indicators for the selection of the latest patent applications in the field of unconventional oil production for 2018 were provided, the present overview includes a brief analysis of key applicants. In total, 974 documents from 28 patent offices around the world were selected for examination,these applications were developed with the...

A brief analysis of key indicators for patent applications registered in the patent offices around the world in 2018 and belonging to the subject related to unconventional oil production (Heavy and extra heavy oil, Oil shale, Oil sands) is provided in the present review. In total, 974 documents from 28 patent offices around the world were found on this subject. The patent offices of the USA and China, where more than 43% from the...

Halliburton was established in 1919 and incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in 1924 and is one of the world’s largest diversified energy services companies. With approximately 60,000 employees the company represents 140 nationalities in more than 80 countries. In 2017 the company had 55,000 employees in approximately 70 countries. Halliburton serves oil and natural gas companies throughout the world...

Gas hydrate occurs naturally in seafloor sediments when water and methane mix at moderate pressures and relatively low temperatures. It resembles ice and concentrates enormous amounts of methane in the global oceans and in permafrost areas. On the U.S. Atlantic Margin, BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) discovered potential deep water gas hydrate deposits that guided the planning for the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment...

Schlumberger was founded in 1926 and is the world’s leading provider of technology for reservoir characterization, drilling, production, and processing to the oil and gas industry. Schlumberger supplies the most comprehensive range of products and services, from exploration through to production, and integrated pore-to-pipeline solutions that optimize hydrocarbon recovery to deliver reservoir performance. In 2018 the company employed...