The proposed review provides statistical data on patent applications registered in patent offices around the world in 2018, and related to the subject of hydrocarbon production from low permeability reservoirs, mainly to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. In total, the patent search resulted in 2364 patent applications published in 28 offices around the world and filed by 534 applicants from 22 countries.
In 2018 American company Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., as usual, became the indisputable leader by registering more than five hundred patent applications. Baker Hughes Incorporated (USA) and PetroChina Company Limited (China) should be highlighted among other applicants, both of whom had registered more than a hundred applications during 2018. Apart from American and Chinese applicants, the top 10 also included representatives from Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabian Oil Company) and the Netherlands (Schlumberger Technology B.V.).
Top 10 applicants by the number of patent applications filed in 2018
| Status | Country | Name | Average, Rate | Total, 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | US | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | 12.8 | 571 |
| Company | US | Baker Hughes Incorporated | 14 | 129 |
| Company | CN | PetroChina Company Limited | 14.1 | 119 |
| Company | SA | Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 11.2 | 78 |
| Company | CN | China Petroleum & Chemical Company | 11 | 71 |
| Organization | CN | SWPU Southwest Petroleum University | 11 | 54 |
| Company | US | Ecolab | 11.2 | 45 |
| Company | US | Dow Global Technologies, LLC | 11.6 | 38 |
| Company | NL | Schlumberger Technology B.V. | 11.5 | 36 |
| Company | US | Downhole Technology LLC | 12.2 | 33 |
Source: Advanced Energy Technologies
Among the top 10 productive applicants, Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. was leading not only in terms of the number of patent applications, but also in terms of their geographical distribution, which covers 18 countries in the world. Baker Hughes Incorporated filed its applications in 16 countries. Chinese companies and organisations were patenting abroad less often than others. For instance, PetroChina Company Limited and China Petroleum & Chemical Company were represented in only one country apart from China, while Southwest Petroleum University registered its applications only in China.
Distribution of patent applications by patent offices around the world among the top 10 applicants
Source: Advanced Energy Technologies
CIPO(CA) - Canadian Intellectual Property Office; CNIPA(CN) - National Intellectual Property Administration; DKPTO(DK) - Danish Patent and Trademark Office; EPO - European Patent Organization; IMPI(MX) - Mexican Institute of Industrial Property; INPI(AR) - National Institute of Industrial Property (Argentina); INPI(BR) - National Institute of Industrial Property (Brazil); INPI(FR) - National Institute of Industrial Property (France); IPAustralia(AU) - IP Australia; IPO(GB) - Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom); IPONZ(NZ) - Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand; IPOPHL(PH) - Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines; IPOS(SG) - Intellectual Property Office of Singapore; JPO(JP) - Industrial Property Office (Japan); KIPO(KR) - Korean Intellectual Property Office; MyIPO(MY) - Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia; NIPO(NO) - Norwegian Industrial Property Office; OEPM(ES) - Spanish Patent and Trademark Office; OSIM(RO) - State Office for Inventions and Trademarks Romania); Rospatent(RU) - Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Russia); SIC(CO) - Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio, Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo (Colombia); UPRP(PL) - Patent Office of the Republic of Poland; USPTO(US)- United States Patent and Trademark Office; WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization
Technical solutions in patent applications of virtually all of the top companies were aimed at solving the problem of low efficiency of main processes, and to a lesser degree were oriented towards the issues of keeping ecological balance, high costs of repair and replacement, and high costs of well operations and consumables.
Technological operations that were the object of interest for applicants in their patent applications were pretty diverse. Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., Downhole Technology LLC and Baker Hughes Incorporated focused their attention the most on the technological aspects of drilling and well elements. Hydraulic fracturing, respective equipment and methods accounted for a substantial share in the applications of PetroChina Company Limited, China Petroleum & Chemical Company, Southwest Petroleum University, Halliburton Energy Services and Baker Hughes Incorporated. Southwest Petroleum University, Saudi Arabian Oil Company and Schlumberger Technology B.V. were involved in the development of working fluids for hydraulic fracturing the most. Dow Global Technologies, LLC., more than others associated its technical solutions with the issues of propping agent production and with the recovery and utilization of consumables.
Technological elements of the top 10 applicants
Source: Advanced Energy Technologies
DR - Drilling and well elements; ES - Ecology & safety; EX - Exploration and site development; FEM - Hydraulic fracturing equipment and methods; FO - Hydraulic fracturing / Other equipment, methods and materials; FPA - Hydraulic fracturing materials / Propping agents; FRU - Hydraulic fracturing materials / Recovery and utilization; FWF - Hydraulic fracturing materials / Working fluids; HFG - Hydraulic fracturing; IFR - Infrastructure; PS-Production and additional stimulation; TT - Product treatment & transportation; UNK - Other or unspecified technology elements
Among the patent applications of the aforementioned key applicants the highest bibliographic rating points were earned by:
- METHODS FOR FORMULATING A CEMENT SLURRY FOR USE IN A SUBTERRANEAN SALT FORMATION/A:US20180135382A1;
- METHODS FOR FORMULATING A CEMENT SLURRY FOR USE IN A SUBTERRANEAN SALT FORMATION USING GEOMETRIC MODELING/A:US20180087377A1;
- Methods for dispersing proppant/A:CA3026086A1,
by Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.;
- ORGANOPHOSPHORUS CONTAINING COMPOSITES FOR USE IN WELL TREATMENT OPERATIONS/US20180340118A1;
- METHOD OF USING CONTROLLED RELEASE TRACERS/US20180135403A1;
- Fracturing plug and method of fracturing a formation/US10077626A1;
-Shaped Compressed Pellets For Slow Release Of Well Treatment Agents Into A Well And Methods Of Using The Same/EP3286278A1,
by Baker Hughes Incorporated;
- 除硼装置和除硼方法(Boron removal device and boron removal method)/CN108726632A, by PetroChina Company Limited and
- AQUEOUS SOLUTION AND METHOD FOR USE THEREOF/US20180044042A1, by Schlumberger Technology B.V.
More detailed information on the methodology as well as on the results of patent researches in the most important fields of contemporary energy industry can be found at Advanced Energy Technologies.
