The oil & gas industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by cost-effectiveness, operational efficiency, and enhanced safety, and growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and big data. In the last three years alone, there have been over 523,000 patents filed and granted in the oil & gas industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in oil & gas: cryogenic natural gas liquefactionBuy the report here.

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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

60+ innovations will shape the oil & gas industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the oil & gas industry using innovation intensity models built on over 196,000 patents, there are 60+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, high-pressure gas vessels, boil-off gas treatment, and oil recovery CWI are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Green hydrogen synthesis, hydrocarbon lubricants, and oil well surveillance are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are cryogenic gas separation and olefin metathesis catalysts, which are now well established in the industry. 

Innovation S-curve for the oil & gas industry

Cryogenic natural gas liquefaction is a key innovation area in oil & gas

Cryogenic natural gas liquefaction involves subjecting natural gas at cryogenic temperatures to convert it into liquefied natural gas (LNG). This shrinks natural gas volume by 600 times and helps in safer and easier transportation.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 50+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established oil & gas companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of cryogenic natural gas liquefaction.

Key players in cryogenic natural gas liquefaction – a disruptive innovation in the oil & gas industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to cryogenic natural gas liquefaction

Company Total patents (2010 - 2022) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Air Products and Chemicals 338 Unlock Company Profile
Linde 163 Unlock Company Profile
Exxon Mobil 160 Unlock Company Profile
Air Liquide 154 Unlock Company Profile
Chart Industries 99 Unlock Company Profile
Halliburton 75 Unlock Company Profile
Saudi Arabian Oil 55 Unlock Company Profile
TechnipFMC 42 Unlock Company Profile
Chiyoda 38 Unlock Company Profile
Saipem 36 Unlock Company Profile
Fluor 33 Unlock Company Profile
General Electric 31 Unlock Company Profile
Shell 30 Unlock Company Profile
Samsung Heavy Industries 20 Unlock Company Profile
Wartsila 19 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 19 Unlock Company Profile
KANFA Aragon 19 Unlock Company Profile
JGC 14 Unlock Company Profile
Expansion Energy 13 Unlock Company Profile
Ortloff Engineers 13 Unlock Company Profile
Single Buoy Moorings 12 Unlock Company Profile
Kawasaki Heavy Industries 11 Unlock Company Profile
Black & Veatch 11 Unlock Company Profile
Gasconsult 8 Unlock Company Profile
TotalEnergies 8 Unlock Company Profile
Costain Group 7 Unlock Company Profile
IHI 6 Unlock Company Profile
Keppel 5 Unlock Company Profile
BP 5 Unlock Company Profile
Repsol 5 Unlock Company Profile
Equinor 5 Unlock Company Profile
Roper Technologies 5 Unlock Company Profile
TP Group 5 Unlock Company Profile
Korea Development Bank 4 Unlock Company Profile
Baker Hughes 4 Unlock Company Profile
Equinor 4 Unlock Company Profile
Marathon Oil 4 Unlock Company Profile
Korea Gas 3 Unlock Company Profile
Single Buoy Moorings 2 Unlock Company Profile
GS Engineering & Construction 2 Unlock Company Profile
ELK 2 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens 2 Unlock Company Profile
Mustang Engineering 1 Unlock Company Profile
Sichuan Shudao Equipment Technology 1 Unlock Company Profile
AMCS 1 Unlock Company Profile
Nikkiso 1 Unlock Company Profile
Keppel Offshore & Marine 1 Unlock Company Profile
CNOOC Gas and Power Group 1 Unlock Company Profile
Hangzhou Fortune Group 1 Unlock Company Profile
Enflex 1 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Air Products and Chemicals is the leading patent filer in cryogenic natural gas liquefaction. Other top players in the field include Linde, Exxon Mobil, Air Liquide, and Chart Industries. The cryogenic LNG heat exchangers manufactured by the company operate in more than 100 LNG trains across the world.

Linde introduced efficient cryogenic technologies for cost-effective distribution of LNG for developing LNG infrastructure. Air Liquide Engineering & Construction offers robust cryogenic liquefaction technologies. For small-scale LNG plants, it has introduced Turbofin, a Nitrogen Refrigerant Technology. For small to mid-scale LNG, it has introduced Smartfin, which is a single mixed refrigerant technology. And for large-scale LNG plants, it offers Liquefin, a dual mixed refrigerant technology.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the oil & gas industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Oil & Gas.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.