CO2 Injection & Storage Patent Landscape 2026
The CO2 injection and storage patent field is in a Growth stage, with the recent three-year window running well above the prior period despite annual volume easing from its 2023 peak. Saudi Arabian Oil Co and Air Products & Chemicals lead a moderately concentrated field dominated by subsurface well-engineering routes, with China filing the largest share of records.
Saudi Arabian Oil Co leads a moderately concentrated field
Saudi Arabian Oil Co holds the top position with 13 patent records, followed closely by Air Products & Chemicals with 12. China University of Mining & Technology and the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System are tied at 7 each, rounding out a competitive top tier that spans national oil companies, industrial-gas majors, oilfield-services firms, and research universities.
The top five filers account for 23% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate concentration with no single dominant player holding a commanding lead. The gap between the top two applicants is narrow, and a dense second tier — including PetroChina, Halliburton, IFP Energies Nouvelles, Schlumberger, and Sinopec — keeps competitive pressure broadly distributed.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 13 | |
| 2 | AIR PROD & CHEM INC | 12 | |
| 3 | CHINA UNIV OF MINING & TECH | 7 | |
| 4 | Board of Regents, The University of Texas System | 7 | |
| 5 | Protostar Group Ltd | 6 | |
| 6 | PetroChina Company Limited | 6 | |
| 7 | Halliburton Energy Services Inc | 6 | |
| 8 | IFP Energies Nouvelles | 5 | |
| 9 | Schlumberger (Services Petroliers Schlumberger SA) | 5 | |
| 10 | CHINA PETROLEUM & CHEMICAL CORP | 5 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Southwest Petroleum University | 5 | |
| 12 | Daqing Oilfield Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 13 | GeoQuest Systems BV | 4 | |
| 14 | ConocoPhillips | 4 | |
| 15 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | 4 | |
| 16 | China University of Petroleum (Beijing) | 3 | |
| 17 | University of Kansas | 3 | |
| 18 | University of Houston System | 3 | |
| 19 | Schlumberger Canada Ltd | 3 | |
| 20 | Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group | 3 |
The presence of both national oil companies and independent technology firms in the top ranks suggests that CO2 storage is being pursued simultaneously as a regulatory compliance tool and as a monetizable technical capability, creating multiple entry vectors for new participants.
Data for 2024 and 2025 is subject to publication lag and is likely understated; apparent softening in those years should not be interpreted as a structural reversal. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filings surged from 2022 onward; subsurface well engineering dominates the technology mix
The annual trend and technology-composition charts together reveal an accelerating field anchored in established subsurface engineering, with meaningful secondary activity in digital and process-chemistry branches.
Annual filing trend
Activity was subdued from 2017 through 2021, then jumped sharply in 2022 and peaked in 2023. The apparent step-down in 2024–2026 reflects publication lag rather than a real contraction; the three-year growth rate of 285% confirms the field is still expanding on a multi-year basis.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
E21B (earth and rock drilling — wells) is the overwhelmingly dominant IPC class, reflecting the field’s core focus on well completion, injection mechanics, and reservoir management. Secondary clusters in B65G (conveying and material handling), G01V (geophysics and gravity surveying), and G06F (digital data processing) indicate growing attention to surface infrastructure, monitoring, and computational modeling.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Optimizing co2 geosequestration with responsive tr…
A method for sequestering carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) in a formation includes providing an injection well extending into the formation, injecting a tracer into the injection well to the formation, collecting the tracer at a surface of the formation, obtaining tracer data from the collected tracer, determining, by a computer system, a geological property… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carbon capture and storage | 143 |
| 2 | Utilizing salts for carbon capture and storage | 99 |
| 3 | Subterranean permeability modification by using mi… | 84 |
| 4 | Storing carbon dioxide and producing methane and g… | 55 |
| 5 | Storing Carbon Dioxide and Producing Methane and G… | 46 |
| 6 | 一种深部煤层气与干热岩型地热联合开采的方法 | 34 |
| 7 | Well bore recompletion | 28 |
| 8 | 一种不可采煤层强化煤层气开采及CO<sub>2</sub>封存的方法 | 19 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
Four structural observations — maturity stage, concentration level, collaboration patterns, and geographic spread — shape the risk and opportunity calculus for new entrants and incumbents alike.
Growth stage with annual volume easing from the 2023 peak
The field is classified as Growth: the recent three-year filing window sits well above the prior three-year window, producing a 285% growth rate. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, though publication lag means 2024–2025 figures are understated. This stage favors early filing of foundational claims before the field consolidates.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a competitive second tier
The top five filers hold 23% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total — a moderate share that signals no single incumbent can block broad market access. The second tier (ranks 6–11) includes PetroChina, Halliburton, IFP Energies Nouvelles, and Schlumberger, each with 5–6 patent records, maintaining pressure on the leaders. New entrants can still establish defensible positions.
Moderate concentrationSchlumberger entities dominate co-filing activity; Saudi Aramco co-files with its services arm
The most active co-filing cluster involves Schlumberger and its affiliates: Schlumberger co-files with GeoQuest Systems (4 joint records), Schlumberger Canada (3), and Schlumberger Technology Corp (3). Saudi Arabian Oil Co co-files with Aramco Services Co (2 records) and Aramco Americas Co (1). PetroChina co-files with Daqing Oilfield (2 records). These patterns reflect intra-group IP coordination rather than cross-industry partnerships.
Intra-group co-filingChina leads filings; US and PCT routes provide secondary coverage
China accounts for the largest share of patent records, followed by the United States and WIPO PCT filings. Canada and the EPO form a secondary tier, with smaller footprints in the UK, Australia, India, and several hydrocarbon-producing jurisdictions. The geographic spread broadly mirrors where CO2 storage projects are being developed or regulated.
China-led, global spreadGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Schlumberger Limited | GeoQuest Systems BV | 4 |
| Schlumberger Limited | Schlumberger Canada Ltd | 3 |
| Schlumberger Limited | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | 3 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company | Aramco Services Company | 2 |
| PetroChina Company Limited | Daqing Oilfield Co Ltd | 2 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company | ARAMCO AMERICAS CO | 1 |
| PetroChina Company Limited | CNPC Research Institute of Safety & Environmental Technology | 1 |
| PENG SIGAN | Peng Sigan | 1 |
| Schlumberger Limited | Schlumberger Technology LLC | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Saudi Arabian Oil Co and Air Products & Chemicals lead by route emphasis
The top two applicants are separated by only one patent record but differ in technology focus; both are classified as new entrants in the recent filing window, indicating the current activity base was built largely within the recent period.
Saudi Arabian Oil Co
Saudi Arabian Oil Co holds 13 patent records and is classified as a new entrant in the recent filing window, meaning its current portfolio was built in the most recent period. Its technology emphasis is split between E21B 41 (wellbore plugging and abandonment for CO2 containment, 10 records) and E21B 43 (hydrocarbon production and injection mechanics, 10 records), with secondary activity in B01D 53 (gas separation). This dual focus reflects integration of capture and storage at the wellsite level.
families: 13Air Products & Chemicals
Air Products & Chemicals holds 12 patent records and is also classified as a new entrant in the recent period, with 12 records in the current window. Its focus is concentrated in E21B 41 (10 records), distinguishing it as primarily a well-integrity and plugging specialist rather than a broad subsurface operator. Its industrial-gas background positions it at the interface of CO2 supply chain and permanent storage.
families: 12| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Air Products and Chemicals Inc | 12 | ▲ new entrant |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| China University of Mining and Technology | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Halliburton Energy Services Inc | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| PetroChina Company Limited | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Protostar Group Ltd | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Southwest Petroleum University | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Schlumberger Limited | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant well-engineering core
Several IPC branches appear with low record counts relative to the dominant E21B class. These are observations of relative sparsity; those with plausible technical linkage to CO2 storage are noted below.
G01V · Geophysics & Gravity Surveying
With 11 patent records, geophysical monitoring of injected CO2 plumes is sparse relative to the injection-mechanics core. Seismic and gravity-based storage verification is a regulatory requirement in most jurisdictions, yet patent activity here is thin. Entry paths include time-lapse seismic processing adapted for supercritical CO2 and gravimetric plume tracking — areas where oilfield-services and sensing firms could establish early positions.
Search this in Eureka →G06F · Electric Digital Data Processing
Only 10 patent records appear under G06F, despite growing reliance on reservoir simulation and digital twins for storage site characterization and capacity estimation. This branch is adjacent to the dominant E21B core and has a realistic entry path via physics-informed machine-learning models for CO2 plume prediction, an area where computational and energy firms could differentiate without competing directly on well hardware.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | E21B 43 · Earth & rock drilling (wells) | E21B 41 · Earth & rock drilling (wells) | E21B 47 · Earth & rock drilling (wells) | B65G 5 · Conveying & material handling | E21B 49 · Earth & rock drilling (wells) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company | Strong · 10 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 2 |
| Halliburton Energy Services Inc | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 4 |
| Air Products and Chemicals Inc | Absent | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| China University of Mining and Technology | Strong · 7 | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Aramco Services Company | Absent | Strong · 4 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Moderate · 2 |
| China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent |
| Schlumberger Limited | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 119 patent families. This is a focused, standalone dataset covering CO2 injection and geological storage specifically, excluding broader carbon-capture or utilization topics.
Saudi Arabian Oil Co leads with 13 patent records, followed by Air Products & Chemicals with 12. The top five filers collectively account for 23% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate rather than dominant concentration.
China accounts for the largest number of patent records, followed by the United States and WIPO PCT filings. Canada and the European Patent Office form a secondary tier, with additional records in the UK, Australia, India, and several hydrocarbon-producing jurisdictions.
The field is classified as Growth. The recent three-year filing window is substantially above the prior three-year window, producing a 285% growth rate. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, but 2024–2025 figures are understated due to publication lag and should not be read as a structural decline.
E21B (earth and rock drilling — wells) is the dominant IPC class by a wide margin, reflecting the field’s core focus on well completion, injection mechanics, and reservoir management. Secondary activity appears in B65G (conveying and material handling), G01V (geophysics), G06F (digital data processing), and C09K (materials for miscellaneous applications).
Most co-filing activity is intra-group rather than cross-industry. Schlumberger and its affiliates (GeoQuest Systems, Schlumberger Canada, Schlumberger Technology Corp) form the most active co-filing cluster. Saudi Arabian Oil Co co-files with Aramco Services Co and Aramco Americas Co. PetroChina co-files with Daqing Oilfield. Evidence of broad cross-industry or academic-industry partnerships is limited in this corpus.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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