Archive
BIOENERGY. Latest granted patents 2016-2018. Methods of control and diagnostics
Summary
Bio-fuel production usually involves generating a synthesis gas (syngas) derived from the gasification of carbonaceous materials, from partial oxidation or reforming of natural gas and/or biogas from anaerobic digestion or landfill gas or off-gas streams of various industrial methods. This so-called “substrate gas” has a lot of useful properties as well as containing substances which might inhibit the further treatment process. In what concerns feedstock composition, parameters such as acidity, insolubles, moisture, phospholipids, sulphur, polymerized triglycerides, impurities, etc., must be determined to decide which pre-treatment steps (washing, degumming, filtration, bleaching, deodorization, among others) should be implemented. Accordingly, some of the problems mentioned most frequently in the patents include the low efficiency of main processes, the high costs of equipment and production, as well as the poor performance of equipment. Hence, a desire exists to find solutions to better control the production process, some of which are presented in the current bulletin.
A selection of patents related to methods of control and diagnostics in bio-fuel production processes and published by patent offices around the globe in 2016-2018 is provided for review in the present bulletin. General research methodology can be found at the Advanced Energy Technologies website. The present review includes 272 patents, prepared by the applicants from 28 countries of the world and registered in 23 patent offices. 271 applicants and 424 IPC subgroups are mentioned in the patent documents.
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) and EPO.
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.
A list of the top 10 applicants by the number of patents includes Ineos Bio SA (CH), Seab Energy Holdings Ltd. (GB), Agricam AB (SE), Biodev AB (SE), Mks Instruments, Inc (US), PHG Energy LLC (US), SGS North America Inc (US), Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group Co. Ltd (CN), Toyota Motor Corporation (JP), Xyleco Inc. (US). Data representing the share in the established intellectual property market, distribution of patents by problems, IPC sections, patent offices (and technology indicators) is provided in the form of tables and diagrams for them.
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 data provided in the proposed bulletin is a timely reflection of the transformations that take place in the intellectual property sector of the industrial direction concerned. Thoroughly edited selection of patent documents can become a good complement to your library of available technical solutions. The bulletin is targeted at inventors, engineers, researchers, managers and business administrators involved in the development of methods of control and diagnostics for bio-fuel production.
