Demulsifiers & Production Chemicals Patents: Leaders, Trends 2026
- A 2019 peak of 15 filings has not been repeated. activity fell to 4 filings in 2021 and the evidence shows a -100% shift into 2024, the last year publication lag lets you read cleanly.
- One assignee (20 records) sits well ahead of a field where fifth place holds only 4. the ranked leaders list runs to just 9 companies, so this is a concentrated space, not a crowded one.
- C10G and B01D dominate the claim language. 76.6% and 53.2% of the 47 records respectively sit in hydrocarbon-oil processing and separation classes, leaving corrosion control, water treatment and flow measurement comparatively open.
Filing growth compares 2021 (4 records) with 2024 (0) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field.
What this landscape covers
This landscape tracks patent filings at the intersection of demulsifier formulation and production chemical injection — the chemistry and hardware used to break reverse emulsions, coalesce water droplets and rupture interfacial films in crude oil desalting and dewatering. The scope pulls together 47 published records filed between 2015 and mid-2026, indexed against emulsion stability testing, chemical compatibility and residual water content claims.
Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent one to two years in any trend understate real activity. The reliable read stops at 2024, the last year the evidence treats as complete.
Filing trend and technology composition
The record set spans a single peak year and a subsequent contraction, with claim density concentrated in two IPC subclasses out of the eight represented.
A 2019 peak that has not returned
Filings rose to a peak of 15 in 2019 before falling back; the 2021-to-2024 span shows 4 filings collapsing to 0, a -100% change the dataset states directly. Years after 2024 are still filling in under publication lag and should not be read as a continued decline.
Claim language concentrated in two subclasses
C10G (hydrocarbon oils and refining) appears in 76.6% of the 47 records and B01D (separation processes) in 53.2%; because records carry multiple classes these figures overlap rather than sum. Corrosion control (C23F, 10.6%), water treatment (C02F, 8.5%), general materials (C09K, 8.5%) and flow measurement (G01F, 4.3%) each cover a small minority of filings.
Shares are the percentage of the 47 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Demulsifiers and Production Chemicals with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about demulsifiers and production chemicals and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this space
Multiple charged ionic compounds derived from polyamines as reverse emulsion breakers (WO2020047188A1)
Discloses a class of multiple charged cationic or anionic compounds made via an aza-Michael addition between a polyamine and an activated olefin, along with methods of making them and their use in a reverse emulsion breaker composition. The filing reports the disclosed compositions outperforming commonly used oil/solid and water separation chemistries.Filed by Ecolab USA Inc., published 2020-03-05.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20030217971A1 | Oil desalting and dewatering | 45 |
| 2 | US5607574A | Method of breaking reverse emulsions in a crude oil desalting system | 41 |
| 3 | US20200071265A1 | Multiple charged ionic compounds derived from polyamines and compositions thereof and use thereof as reverse … | 31 |
| 4 | US20140360920A1 | Process for demulsification of crude oil in water emulsions by means of natural or synthetic amino acid-based… | 19 |
| 5 | US7008536B2 | Oil desalting and dewatering | 10 |
| 6 | US20210095183A1 | Additives for polymer emulsion stabilization | 6 |
| 7 | US20210348069A1 | Enhanced demulsifier performance ranking procedure & algorithm based on separation efficiency | 6 |
| 8 | US20230278949A1 | Multiple charged ionic compounds derived from polyamines and compositions thereof and use thereof as reverse … | 2 |
| 9 | US11332677B2 | Enhanced demulsifier performance ranking procedure and algorithm based on separation efficiency | 2 |
| 10 | WO2020047188A1 | Multiple charged ionic compounds derived from polyamines and compositions thereof and use thereof as reverse … | 2 |
Citation counts favour older records within the searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence on later filings, not as a ranking of current commercial relevance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns matter more than the raw counts: where claim density sits, how concentrated ownership is, and what the growth figure actually covers.
Hydrocarbon-oil processing claims dominate
Three in four records in scope touch C10G hydrocarbon oil and refining claims, and over half also carry B01D separation-process claims. New formulation filings that sit purely in this overlap face the densest prior art in the set.
A short, steep ranking
The ranked leaders list covers just 9 companies. The gap between the top assignee at 20 records and fifth place at 4 signals a field where one filer has built a substantial position rather than one split evenly across many entrants.
Read the 2024 endpoint, not 2025-2026
The dataset's own growth figure shows filings falling from 4 in 2021 to 0 in 2024. That is the last complete comparison available; years beyond it are still accumulating publications under the normal reporting lag and should not be treated as confirming a further decline.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to demulsifiers and production chemicals, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the field is thin
Ownership here is short-listed rather than fragmented, and the technology composition points to specific branches that have drawn far fewer claims than core desalting and separation chemistry.
A single filer well ahead of the field
The top assignee in the ranked leaders list holds 20 records against a fifth-place count of 4, a spread that suggests a defended core portfolio in reverse emulsion breaker chemistry rather than a market still being contested.
Limited joint filing activity
The strongest co-assignee pairing in the dataset, between two Saudi state-linked filers, covers only 2 shared records. Co-assignment is not a major feature of this landscape; most portfolios are built independently.
Recent-year filings are thin across the board
Several of the tracked assignees, including large multinational chemical and oil majors, show 0 filings in the latest tracked year. Given the publication lag, this reflects incomplete recent data as much as any pullback in R&D activity.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Ecolab USA Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco) | 0 | — |
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co. | 0 | — |
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | 0 | -100% |
| Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo | 0 | — |
| BetzDearborn Inc. | 0 | — |
| Aramco Services Co. | 0 | — |
| CHAMPIONX USA INC | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a concentrated ownership structure and a narrow band of heavily claimed chemistry. Turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision needs a closer read of the specific claims involved.
Check freedom to operate around the top-cited filings
The most-cited records in this set, including the desalting and dewatering families, sit behind decades of citation traffic. Any new formulation claim should be checked against their specific claim scope before drafting.
Run a claim comparison in EurekaMap the under-claimed branches to your own chemistry
Corrosion control, produced-water treatment and flow-measurement integration show materially lower claim density than core desalting chemistry. Confirm whether your compound class or delivery method actually falls inside one of these gaps before assuming it is open.
Explore white space in EurekaCommon questions on demulsifier and production chemical patents
Within the 9 companies in the ranked leaders list, one assignee holds 20 records, well ahead of a fifth-place count of 4. That gap indicates a concentrated portfolio built by a single filer rather than an evenly split field. The list is not a top-50 or top-100 ranking; it is the complete set of assignees the dataset returns for this scope, so any filer outside it published fewer records than the field captured here.
Filing peaked at 15 records in 2019 and has not returned to that level since. The dataset's own growth figure covers 2021 (4 records) to 2024 (0 records), a -100% change, and 2024 is the last year that can be read as complete. Years after 2024 are still accumulating publications under the normal 18-month lag between filing and publication, so they should not be read as confirming a further slowdown.
Most records sit in C10G, hydrocarbon oils and refining, which covers 76.6% of the 47 records in scope, and B01D, separation processes, which covers 53.2%. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, these figures overlap rather than summing to 100%. Corrosion control, water treatment, general materials and flow measurement each appear in a small minority of filings, making them comparatively less contested.
WO2020047188A1, filed by Ecolab USA Inc. and published 2020-03-05, covers multiple charged cationic or anionic compounds made through an aza-Michael addition reaction between a polyamine and an activated olefin, plus methods of making them and using them in a reverse emulsion breaker composition. The filing frames these compositions as outperforming commonly used oil/solid and water separation chemistries. Anyone formulating a reverse emulsion breaker from a polyamine-derived multiple charged ionic compound should read this filing's specific claim language before proceeding.
The technology composition shows heavy claim density in hydrocarbon oil processing and separation chemistry, with corrosion-inhibiting blends, produced-water treatment chemistries, injection-pump flow-sensing integration and condensation-polymer breaker chemistries all appearing in far fewer of the 47 records. These branches are not proven to be commercially unattractive, only less claimed in this dataset, so they are a reasonable starting point for a first-filer search rather than a guaranteed opening.
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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.