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SYNTHETIC FUELS. Latest published applications 2017-2019. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
Summary
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is an efficient method for producing transportation fuels and other products from synthetic gas. It consists of catalytic conversion of hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules into the required composition of longer hydrocarbon chains. The feedstock for this process is syngas which is usually derived from natural gas, oil, coal, biomass and organic waste. The synthesis process takes place at fairly moderate temperatures up to 3000С, and moderate pressures in the presence of a catalyst, normally consisting of cobalt, iron and sometimes ruthenium, which is more expensive than the other two materials. The reactors used for this process include, for example, moving bed, fixed-bed, fluidized-bed, or slurry bubble-column-type reactors. One of the main advantages of FT synthesis is that the demand for liquid fuels can be satisfied locally as well as realising the production of goods in the respective markets using such raw materials as are available. However, worldwide large-scale application of this technology is still inhibited by its rather high capital costs, strict legislation in many places concerning the requirements for raw materials and technological systems, and by the general global demand for energy products from FT synthesis. Also, there are still some issues pertaining to the process characteristics, such as optimising the selectivity of the polymerization process, improving the surface structure of the active catalysts, and the problem of catalyst deactivation. The applications discussed in this bulletin present some of the most recent achievements in this technology.
A selection of patent applications related to Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and published by patent offices around the globe in 2017-2019 is provided for review in the present bulletin. General research methodology can be found on the Advanced Energy Technologies website. The present bulletin includes 504 patent applications, prepared by applicants from 20 countries and registered in 24 patent offices. The patent documents mention 184 applicants and 486 IPC subgroups.
Key Highlights
Statistical information presented in the bulletin includes distribution of patent documents by years, by patent offices and by applicant countries, applicant-related data (residents and non-residents), and data on the most frequently mentioned International Patent Classification divisions (sections, classes, subclasses, groups, and subgroups). The largest number of applications during the period of time under revision was registered by the patent office of the United States.
For each of the patent documents selected for the examination in the present bulletin the characteristics of unified indicators were preliminary defined, they include: technical problems, types of inventive solutions employed, belonging to one or other technological segment. This allows the internal content for each of the indicators in the aggregate array of documents to be visualized, for instance, to define the sequence and proportional correlation of technical problems the inventive solutions disclosed in the texts aim to solve. A list of the top 10 groups consisting of patent documents with identical unified indicators contains ID numbers and applicant names of respective documents; the groups are sorted by the number of patent documents.
Data is provided for each of the top 10 applicants, leading in terms of the number of published patent documents among the ones examined in the bulletin, illustrating their share in the established intellectual property market, distribution of applications by problems, IPC sections, patent offices and technology indicators. Representatives of Japan prevail among the patenting leaders in the examined period of time, including: Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. (NL), Shell Oil Company (US), JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (JP), Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd (JP), INPEX Corporation (JP), Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) (JP), Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JP), Sabic Global Technologies B.V (NL), Nippon Steel & Sumikin Engineering Co Ltd (JP), BP PLC (GB).
The prominent documents pages contain the top 10 patent applications with the highest bibliographical rating, the most extensive coverage of IPC sections, and those not being a part of patent family.
A list 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 registered patent applications is provided in the conclusive part of the bulletin.
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 synthetic fuel production technologies.
