The oil & gas industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by regulations on carbon emissions, and the energy transition, and the growing importance of technologies such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. 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: regasification power management. Buy 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
Regasification power management is a key innovation area in oil & gas
Regasification power management refers to the systems and processes used to manage the supply and distribution of gas fuel in regasification processes. It involves the control and monitoring of gas fuel pipelines, vent gas, and liquefied gas for efficient and safe operation. Regasification power management systems aim to prevent leaks, ensure proper heating and evaporation of liquefied gas, and maintain optimal pressure for fuel gas supply.
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 40+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established oil & gas companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of regasification power management.
Key players in regasification power management – 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 regasification power management
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Korea Development Bank | 948 | Unlock Company Profile |
| HD Hyundai | 648 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Samsung Heavy Industries | 292 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kawasaki Heavy Industries | 120 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 60 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Wartsila | 44 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kobe Steel | 37 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Engie | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Linde | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fuelsave | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TGE Group | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| POSCO | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Microsoft | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsui E&S | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| DongHwa Entec | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Imabari Shipbuilding | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alfa Laval | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AFC Mercury | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Porsche Automobil | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Siemens | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sumitomo | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Man Energy Solutions Filial Af Man Energy Solutions Se Tyskland | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sumitomo Seika Chemicals | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Boeing | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Yanmar (Tokyo Office) | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Belcan | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nat Univ Pusan Ind Univ Coop Found | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Pan Asia | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TotalEnergies | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alstom | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sanoyasoration | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hanwha Aerospace | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| N&K | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Keppel Offshore & Marine | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China Ship Development And Design Center | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mytec | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hanwha | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China State Shipbuilding | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Agency For Defense Development | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MAN Diesel | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Marine Service | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hi Air Korea | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| GAS Entec | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Korea Gas | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Parkland | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| STX Heavy Industries | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Samsung Heavy Industries is one of the leading patent filers in regasification power management. The company developed a LNG regasification system called S-Regas (GI) for floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU). S-Regas (GI) uses glycol to heat LNG instead of traditionally used seawater to reduce corrosion. Further, the new system helps to lower costs and improves performance.
Some other key patent filers in the space include HD Hyundai, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
In terms of application diversity, Sumitomo leads the pack, while Marine Service and Boeing stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Fuelsave held the top position, followed by Linde and Alfa Laval.
Innovations in regasification power management continue to gain prominence as they are increasingly helping oil and gas companies to increase the efficiency and safety of regasification processes.
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.
