CO2 (R744) Refrigerant Patent Snapshot 2026
The CO2 (R744) refrigerant patent space is a small, China-dominated field with activity concentrated among a handful of academic and industrial filers. Annual volume peaked in 2021 and has eased since, with the corpus dominated by refrigeration and heat-pump cycle work under IPC class F25B.
A concentrated, China-led corpus with a dominant single applicant
Foshan Lingyingda Energy-Saving Technology Co., Ltd. leads the ranking with 4 patent families, followed by Xi’an Jiaotong University and Carrier Corporation each holding 2 patent families. The top five filers together account for 77% of the combined output of the ranked applicants visible in this query, signalling a highly concentrated field.
The tier gap between the leader and the rest is steep: no other applicant holds more than 2 patent families. Universities — Xi’an Jiaotong University, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Northeast Dianli University, and Peking University — account for a meaningful share of the roster alongside a single large international industrial player, Carrier Corporation.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foshan Lingyingda Energy-Saving Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 2 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 2 | |
| 3 | Carrier Corporation | 2 | |
| 4 | UNIV OF SHANGHAI FOR SCI & TECH | 1 | |
| 5 | Cheng Jie | 1 | |
| 6 | Northeast Electric Power University | 1 | |
| 7 | Beijing National Building Green Low-Carbon Technology Innovation Center Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 8 | Peking University | 1 |
The leader’s position in transcritical cycle and expansion-valve sub-classes (F25B 9, F25B 41) reflects a practical system-integration focus, while academic filers concentrate on thermodynamic cycle variants and heat-exchanger optimisation, leaving the field’s intellectual base broadly distributed across industry and academia.
Patent applications typically publish 18–24 months after filing, so the most recent periods in this corpus should be treated as under-counted rather than indicative of a structural trend. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Irregular annual cadence, with F25B refrigeration machinery as the dominant technology branch
Filing activity in this corpus has been irregular rather than steady, with a notable spike in 2021 followed by quieter years. The technology mix is heavily weighted toward refrigeration and heat-pump machinery, with a few adjacent branches present at very low counts.
Annual filing trend
Activity spiked to 4 filings in 2021, the corpus peak year, before easing. Years 2024–2026 show very low reported counts that reflect publication lag rather than confirmed inactivity; treat them as provisional. The overall pattern is irregular rather than a sustained ramp.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
F25B (Refrigeration & heat pumps) is visible in the branch mix. F25D (Refrigerators & cooling) and F28D (Heat-exchange apparatus) each appear at lower counts, while C09K (Materials), F26B (Drying), and F28F (Heat-exchanger details) are each represented by a single record, marking them as adjacent rather than core branches.
↗ 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.
Precooler-based transcritical co2 heat pump system…
The present disclosures discloses a precooler-based transcritical CO<sub>2 </sub>heat pump system and a control method of a waterway two-way valve thereof, in which a transcritical CO<sub>2 </sub>heat pump system is assisted by a precooler system. A circulating waterway is divided into two parts in the system through a three-way diversion valve and a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precooler-based transcritical co2 heat pump system… | 13 |
| 2 | 一种多级热泵干燥系统及其控制方法 | 4 |
| 3 | 带二次冷却的CO2热泵换热器 | 2 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Foshan Lingyingda Energy-Saving Technology
Holds 4 patent families — the largest single-filer position in the corpus. Technology emphasis spans F25B 9 (transcritical and special refrigeration cycles), F25B 41 (expansion and control valves), and F25B 30 (heat-pump systems), indicating a practical, system-level integration focus. Momentum data marks this filer as a new entrant in the recent period, suggesting its position was built quickly rather than accumulated over many years.
families: 4Xi’an Jiaotong University & Carrier Corporation
Xi’an Jiaotong University holds 2 patent families with coverage across F25B 30, F25B 39, and F25B 41, reflecting a broad academic interest in cycle thermodynamics and valve systems. Carrier Corporation also holds 2 patent families, concentrated in F25B 1 (compression cycles), F25B 13 (cascade systems), and F25B 27 (combined refrigeration/heating), representing the only major global OEM in the ranking. Carrier’s presence signals commercial-grade prior art in cascade and combined-cycle architectures.
families: 2 eachFrequently asked questions
The corpus contains 11 patent families in scope. This is a small dataset, so individual filings have an outsized effect on concentration and trend metrics.
Foshan Lingyingda Energy-Saving Technology Co., Ltd. leads with 4 patent families. The company is identified as a new entrant in the recent filing period, meaning its position was built rapidly rather than over many years.
F25B (Refrigeration & heat pumps) is the visible branch by a wide margin. F25D (Refrigerators & cooling) and F28D (Heat-exchange apparatus) follow at lower counts, with C09K, F26B, and F28F each represented by a single record.
China holds 9 patent records in scope. Europe (EPO) and the United States each hold 2. The corpus is therefore primarily relevant to Chinese market freedom-to-operate assessments; international exposure from this specific set of filings is limited.
Annual filings peaked in 2021 and have eased since, placing the field in a decline lifecycle stage based on the evidence. The most recent years (2024–2026) show very low counts that partly reflect publication lag and should be treated as provisional rather than confirmed inactivity.
No co-filing activity is recorded in this corpus. All filings are attributed to individual organisations. Academic filers including Xi’an Jiaotong University, Peking University, Northeast Dianli University, and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology are present as independent filers and represent potential partnership targets for industry players.
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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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