EOR Injection-Well Drilling Patent Snapshot 2026
This is a small, highly concentrated niche: 15 patent families are held by a tight cluster led by Linde AG, with the United States as the dominant filing jurisdiction. Annual filing activity peaked in 2018 and has since declined, placing the field in a contraction phase that creates potential re-entry windows for well-positioned newcomers.
Linde AG dominates a concentrated, maturing niche
Linde AG holds the top position with 10 patent records, followed by Saudi Arabian Oil Co with 6 and Baker Hughes Co with 4. The field is small, with 15 patent families in scope distributed among roughly 15 identified applicants.
The top five filers account for 67% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating a tight oligopoly. The tier gap between Linde AG and the remainder is substantial — the second-ranked applicant holds just over half as many records.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linde AG | 10 | |
| 2 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 6 | |
| 3 | Baker Hughes Company | 4 | |
| 4 | BABCOCK JOHN A | 3 | |
| 5 | Innotech Alberta Inc | 3 | |
| 6 | JOHN A BABCOCK | 2 | |
| 7 | Harris Corporation | 2 | |
| 8 | ConocoPhillips Company | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Hatch Ltd | 1 | |
| 10 | Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority | 1 | |
| 11 | TESSIER LYNN P | 1 | |
| 12 | PJSC Tatneft | 1 | |
| 13 | Espresso Capital Ltd | 1 | |
| 14 | KLOSTERHOFSTRASSE 1 MÜNCHEN | 1 | |
| 15 | Martin Parry Tech Pty Ltd | 1 |
Linde AG’s dominance, reinforced by a documented co-filing relationship with individual inventor John. A. Babcock, suggests that core process-chemistry and well-drilling methods are already staked out. Later entrants would likely need to differentiate by sub-process, geography, or adjacent technology class.
The most recent filing years should be treated with caution due to standard patent-publication lag; apparent zero activity from 2022 onward likely understates actual recent filings. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2018 peak, a sharp decline, and a core drilling-plus-chemistry technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a burst of activity peaking in 2018 followed by rapid contraction, while the technology composition is dominated by well-drilling methods with a secondary materials layer.
Annual filing trend
Filings reached their highest point in 2018 with 7 records, then fell sharply. Years from 2022 onward show zero recorded filings, but this almost certainly reflects publication lag rather than a complete cessation of activity — interpret this tail with caution.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
The E21B class (earth and rock drilling — wells) is visible in with 31 records, followed by C09K (materials for miscellaneous applications) with 20 records. C10L (fuels and firelighters) and H01F (magnets, inductors, and transformers) each account for only 1 record, flagging them as adjacent but under-served 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.
Utilization of microwave technology in enhanced oi…
A method and system for treating a portion of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation of a crude oil reservoir containing heavy hydrocarbons using a microwave enhanced heavy hydrocarbon recovery system includes forming a horizontal injection well having an injection horizontal run, forming a horizontal microwave source well having a microwave source horizontal run… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enhanced oil recovery by altering wettability | 52 |
| 2 | Unconventional enhanced oil recovery | 39 |
| 3 | Heavy oil production with em preheat and gas injec… | 31 |
| 4 | Ferrofluids absorbed on graphene/graphene oxide fo… | 24 |
| 5 | Method and apparatus for stimulating heavy oil pro… | 24 |
| 6 | Unconventional reservoir enhanced or improved oil … | 23 |
| 7 | Unconventional reservoir enhanced or improved oil … | 16 |
| 8 | Utilization of microwave technology in enhanced oi… | 16 |
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.
Linde AG
Linde AG holds 10 patent records, making it the clear corpus leader. Its technical focus spans both C09K 8 (injection materials and fluid chemistry) and E21B 43 (production methods including enhanced recovery), with a minor position in C10L 3 (fuel-gas applications). The portfolio was built largely in collaboration with inventor John A. Babcock. No applicant momentum data is available for recent-period trajectory assessment.
patent records: 10Saudi Arabian Oil Co
Saudi Arabian Oil Co holds 6 patent records, covering both C09K 8 materials applications and E21B 43 production drilling methods, and notably extending into E21B 33 (well-sealing and completion), which differentiates its portfolio from Linde AG’s. This broader well-engineering coverage suggests an operator-led perspective rather than a chemistry-first approach. No recent-period momentum data is available.
patent records: 6Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 15 patent families. This is a small, specialized niche and the total should be interpreted alongside the high concentration among a handful of applicants.
Linde AG is the top filer with 10 patent records, well ahead of the second-ranked Saudi Arabian Oil Co at 6 records and Baker Hughes Co at 4 records.
Annual filings peaked in 2018 with 7 records. Activity dropped sharply in subsequent years. Years from 2022 onward show no recorded filings, though standard publication lag means very recent filings may not yet be visible.
The United States leads with 14 jurisdiction records, followed by Canada with 10. WIPO PCT filings account for 3 records. The United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Malaysia, and Russia each have 1 record, indicating limited global protection strategies outside North America.
E21B (earth and rock drilling — wells) leads with 31 records, followed by C09K (materials for miscellaneous applications) with 20 records. C10L and H01F each account for only 1 record and represent under-served adjacent branches.
The most active co-filing relationship is between John A. Babcock and Linde AG, with 8 joint records. Harris Corp and ConocoPhillips have co-filed 2 records together. The collaborative network is narrow overall, suggesting tightly controlled IP development rather than broad consortium activity.
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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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