Archive
BIOENERGY. Latest granted patents 2014-2016. Feeding systems
Summary
Modern feeding systems for further processing of biomass in bioenergy reactors, be it simple boilers or large-tonnage gasifiers, need to be reliable and safe, use a flexible technology (Flexible Feeding Systems), and be suitable for fully-automated processes (Robotic Part Feeders). However, due to the specific physical qualities of bulk solids, which in most cases consist of biomass. Biomass feeding systems are less effective than gas or liquid feeding systems. When crushed biomass is processed, several problems can arise: flow problems because of the cohesiveness of the feedstock, particle size variations or low densities, explosion or fire risk, spontaneous heating, problems involving the consistent monitoring of biomass quality, etc. The patented inventions, for the most part, offer solutions that help overcome these problems.
A selection of patent applications related to feeding systems in bioenergy production and published by patent offices around the globe in 2014-2016 is provided for review in the present bulletin. General research methodology can be found at the Advanced Energy Technologies website. The present bulletin includes 262 patents, prepared by applicants from 28 countries and registered in 21 patent offices. The patent documents mention 340 applicants and 307 IPC subgroups.
Key Highlights
The bulletin contains statistical data on the distribution of patent documents by years, by patent offices and by applicant countries, applicant-related data (residents and non-residents), data on the most frequently mentioned International Patent Classification divisions (sections, classes, subclasses, groups, and subgroups). The top three patent offices that granted the largest number of patents were USPTO (US), CNIPA (CN), IP Australia (AU).
Based on the analysis of each of the patents, internal characteristics of unified indicators (technical problems, types of inventive solutions, belonging to one or other technological segment) were found, which allowed specific features for each of the indicators for the entire array of documents to be defined, for instance, to define the leading problems or technical solution types that were disclosed by the inventors the most. Document lists are provided for the ten most popular groups of patent documents with identical unified indicators, including their ID numbers and applicant names.
The following information can be found for the top 10 applicants: breakdown of documents by problems, IPC sections, patent offices, technological indicators, as well as the estimation of their share in the established intellectual property market. The 10 leading applicants by the number of patent documents were: General Atomics (US), BioProcessH2O LLC (US), MICROPHYT (FR), Hamlet Protein (DK), Algae Systems LLC (US), Chou David Shih-Wei (US), KSB Aktiengesellschaft (DE), MINE-NRG Inc (US), University of Arizona (US), ACTA ALGA (FR).
The top prominent documents section includes three lists of the top 10 patents having the highest bibliographical rating, the largest number of IPC sections, and the shortest patent pending time.
The conclusive part of the bulletin represents the lists of all of the documents reviewed, arranged by the top 10 groups of patent documents with identical unified indicators and by patent offices with the indication of the ID numbers of the granted patents.
Who needs this bulletin?
The statistics bulletin under examination serves as one of the variants to monitor advanced technical achievements in the specified industrial sector. The statistical data, rating evaluations and carefully selected patent documents provided in the bulletin can be of interest for inventors, students and educators, engineers, as well as for businessmen and investors, who in one way or another are concerned with the problems of designing feeding systems for biomass production.
