Corrosion Under Insulation Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
A data-backed view of the corrosion under insulation patent landscape: filing trends since 2017, the leading assignees, IPC technology clusters, and where claim space remains open.
Filing growth = 2021 (59 records) → 2024 (54); 2024 is the last year we treat as complete. Top-5 share = the 5 largest assignees ÷ all 1,701 records in scope (CR5), not the ranked leaders only.
What the corrosion under insulation patent record actually shows
Corrosion under insulation, or CUI, sits at the intersection of pipe and vessel engineering, coating chemistry and increasingly, inspection technology. The 1,701 records in scope from 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off cover everything from thermal-barrier coating formulations to infrared and machine-learning-based detection systems. The mix of IPC classes present, F16L pipe fittings alongside G01N material testing, B32B laminates and C09D coatings, signals that CUI is claimed as much through inspection and diagnostics as through the underlying materials science.
Filing activity rose from 49 records in 2017 to a peak of 90 in 2019, and has held in a comparable range since, with 2021 at 59 and 2024 at 54, a modest 8% pull-back over that span rather than a collapse. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the lower counts shown for 2025 and 2026 understate real activity and should not be read as a slowdown.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 1,701-record dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
A 2019 peak followed by a plateau, not a decline
Annual filings ran from 49 in 2017 to a peak of 90 in 2019. The most recent complete comparison, 2021 (59) versus 2024 (54), shows an 8% pull-back, well short of a structural decline given publication lag on the tail years.
Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in. Growth rates on this page therefore end at 2024; running them to the last bar would understate the field.
Pipes and testing outweigh coatings
F16L (pipes and pipe fittings) leads at 17.6% of records, with G01N (material analysis and testing) close behind at 14.6%. B32B laminates, C09D coatings and C23C surface deposition follow, meaning inspection and structural claims outnumber pure coating-chemistry claims in this corpus.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,701 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Corrosion & Degradation: Corrosion Under Insulation Patent Landscape with Eureka
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Try EurekaA representative claim: detection by artificial intelligence and thermography
Probability of detection of lifecycle phases of corrosion under insulation using artificial intelligence and temporal thermography
A system for determining corrosion under insulation of an industrial asset is provided. The system includes an infrared camera configured to acquire one or more time-series infrared images of an industrial asset. The system further includes a computing device configured to receive data characterizing the one or more time-series infrared images, and to identify an area of interest of the industrial asset within the one or more time-series infrared images. The computing device is further configured to identify, by a machine learning algorithm, a plurality of defects within the area of interest based on pixel-wise assignment of at least one defect category selected from a plurality of defect categories.Abstract excerpted from the published filing.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US3429722A | Boron nitride fiber manufacture | 145 |
| 2 | US6789608B1 | Thermally exposed, centrally insulated geothermal heat exchange unit | 139 |
| 3 | US20040229031A1 | Coatings, materials, articles, and methods of making thereof | 136 |
| 4 | US20050041370A1 | High-power ultracapacitor energy storage pack and method of use | 132 |
| 5 | US4643212A | Hot liquid thermal energy storage tank and method | 121 |
| 6 | US20150355074A1 | Type of testing equipment for detecting the failure process of thermal barrier coating in a simulted working … | 110 |
| 7 | US5854557A | Corrosion measurement system | 107 |
| 8 | US20160030050A1 | Expandable body device and method of use | 106 |
| 9 | US20060280954A1 | Corrosion resistant sealant for outer EBL of silicon-containing substrate and processes for preparing same | 104 |
| 10 | US5444184A | Method and cable for transmitting communication signals and electrical power between two spaced-apart locatio… | 99 |
Citation counts reward older filings that have had more time to accumulate citations within this searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence, not of current commercial weight.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the concentration and clustering mean for filing strategy
The ranking, the IPC mix and the receiving-office spread each point to a different practical decision: where competitive pressure is real, and where a filing has open ground.
Leadership is thin at the very top
The single leading assignee holds 88 records, but the top 5 combined account for only 12.3% of all 1,701 records in scope, and the top 10 for 18.0%. That is a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants rather than a field owned by a handful of players.
Detection claims rival structural claims
F16L pipe and pipe-fitting claims lead the IPC mix, but G01N material analysis and testing sits close behind at 14.6% of records. Coatings (C09D, 8.4%) and surface deposition (C23C, 7.1%) trail both, suggesting inspection and diagnostic claims carry as much weight as the coatings chemistry itself.
A plateau after the 2019 peak
Filings peaked in 2019 at 90 and have settled since, with 2021 (59) to 2024 (54) marking an 8% pull-back over three years. That is consistent with a maturing but active field, not a technology in retreat.
US and Europe anchor filing activity
The United States receives the largest share of filings at 460 records, followed by the EPO at 242 and WIPO PCT filings at 139. Japan, the UK and India each sit in a comparable secondary tier, indicating the field is filed broadly rather than concentrated in one jurisdiction.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to corrosion & degradation: corrosion under insulation patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) | Aveitas Systems Inc. | 18 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) | 11 |
| Knauf Insulation LLC (USA) | Knauf Insulation, Inc. | 11 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) | Saudi Aramco Services Company | 10 |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) | Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | 4 |
| Superco Ltd. | 2543500 Alberta Ltd. (dba Shaw Pipe Protection) | 4 |
| Superco Ltd. | Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland B.V. | 2 |
| Superco Ltd. | JACKSON PETER | 2 |
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, with the strongest linking an oil major to a research partner and a university, and a second cluster linking insulation manufacturer entities. Co-filing is the exception here, not the norm.
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific, checkable next moves rather than a general call to explore.
Map the detection sub-cluster against G01N claims
With G01N material testing at 14.6% of records and rising interest in AI-based thermography, a claim-by-claim read of the detection sub-cluster will show how much of that space is already occupied versus open.
Explore detection claims in EurekaCheck freedom to operate against the top 10 ranked assignees
The top 10 hold 18.0% of all 1,701 records; a freedom-to-operate screen against just those filers covers a meaningful share of the crowded ground without the noise of the full long tail.
Run an FTO screen in EurekaTrack the 2024 filing plateau forward
2021 to 2024 shows an 8% pull-back with 2025-26 data still incomplete; revisiting the trend in a future quarter will show whether the plateau holds once lag-affected years settle.
Set a monitoring alert in EurekaQuestions practitioners ask about CUI patents
The dataset used for this landscape contains 1,701 published records spanning 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off, all counted as patent families in the assignee ranking. That figure includes both materials-side filings, such as coatings and thermal-barrier compositions, and detection-side filings covering thermography, sensors and machine-learning inspection systems. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the true count for the most recent one to two years will be higher than currently published figures show.
The ranking covers 100 companies, and no single filer dominates the field: the leading assignee holds 88 records, but the top 5 combined represent only 12.3% of all 1,701 records in scope, rising to 18.0% for the top 10. That pattern, a modest leader plus a long tail of smaller filers, means competitive risk is spread across many organisations rather than concentrated in one or two. Oil and gas majors, industrial coatings firms and inspection technology companies all appear among the more active filers.
Filings rose from 49 in 2017 to a peak of 90 in 2019, then settled into a plateau: 2021 recorded 59 filings and 2024 recorded 54, an 8% pull-back over that three-year span rather than a sustained decline. The years after 2024 in the raw data appear lower still, but that reflects publication lag rather than a real drop in filing activity, since publication typically trails filing by about 18 months. Treat 2024 as the most recent year with a reliable count.
Detection and materials testing claims cluster in G01N, which covers 14.6% of the 1,701 records in scope, while structural pipe and fitting claims sit in F16L at 17.6%. Coatings chemistry appears mainly under C09D (8.4%) and surface deposition under C23C (7.1%), with layered-product and laminate claims in B32B at 9.6%. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100% and should be read as overlapping clusters, not a strict breakdown.
The IPC composition shows detection and structural claims (F16L, G01N) carrying more filing density than coatings and surface-deposition classes (C09D, C23C), which sit comparatively lighter at 8.4% and 7.1% of the 1,701 records respectively. Co-filing between organisations is also rare, with only 10 co-assignee pairs identified across the whole dataset, suggesting collaborative filings around novel coating chemistries or sensor-material combinations remain uncommon. A first claim combining a specific coating formulation with an integrated detection method is a plausible under-claimed angle given this split.
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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.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.