Oil Refining & Lubricants Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- 31.7% sits with a handful of filers. The top 5 assignees account for 614 of the 1,937 records in scope, so freedom-to-operate work should start with their portfolios, not a blank prior-art search.
- Filing grew 67% from 2021 to 2024. Volume rose from 39 records in 2021 to 65 in 2024, the last year publication lag lets the trend be read as complete.
- Microbial and chemical routes overlap in the same records. C10G hydrocarbon refining (32.3%) and C12P fermentation (18.9%) both sit inside this corpus, meaning biological and conventional refining claims are being drafted against the same problem set.
Filing growth compares 2021 (39 records) with 2024 (65) — 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. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 1,937 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This landscape maps 1,937 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that combine oil refining terminology with operational concerns such as well pressure, formation fluid, pipeline flow, corrosion rate, production tubing and hydrocarbon processing. The scope spans conventional refining chemistry alongside a substantial body of microbial and fermentation-based routes to oil-like feedstocks, reflecting a decade in which biological production competed directly with traditional hydrocarbon processing for claim space.
Coverage runs through the 2026 data cut-off, but publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the most recent one to two years understate actual filing activity. Family-level counts are used throughout for cross-jurisdiction comparability rather than raw document counts.
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 1,937 records: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Annual filings rose from 42 records in 2017 to a peak of 79 in 2023, with growth of 67% between 2021 (39) and 2024 (65) marking the clearest recent expansion. 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in under publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
C10G (hydrocarbon oils and refining) leads at 32.3% of the 1,937 records, followed by C12P (fermentation and enzymatic synthesis) at 18.9% and C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering) at 14.1%. Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares sum to more than 100% and should be read against the full record total, not against each other.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,937 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Oil Refining & Lubricants Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about oil refining & lubricants patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records and a representative filing
US9115319B2 — Additive for naphthenic acid corrosion inhibition and method of using the same
Filed by Dorf Ketal Chemicals, this 2015 patent addresses high-temperature naphthenic acid and sulphur corrosion in hydrocarbon processing units. It claims combination compositions built from a high-reactive-polyisobutylene/phosphorous-pentasulphide reaction product combined with a thiophosphorous ester, formed as two mixtures that are then blended into the working additive.Abstract text is drawn directly from the published filing.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WO2008151149A2 | Production of oil in microorganisms | 392 |
| 2 | US20060259163A1 | Temporary expanding integrated monitoring network | 325 |
| 3 | US20090148918A1 | Glycerol Feedstock Utilization for Oil-Based Fuel Manufacturing | 230 |
| 4 | US20090061493A1 | Lipid Pathway Modification in Oil-Bearing Microorganisms | 225 |
| 5 | US7883882B2 | Renewable chemical production from novel fatty acid feedstocks | 224 |
| 6 | WO2010063032A2 | Production of tailored oils in heterotrophic microorganisms | 201 |
| 7 | US20090004715A1 | Glycerol Feedstock Utilization for Oil-Based Fuel Manufacturing | 201 |
| 8 | US20090047721A1 | Renewable Diesel and Jet Fuel from Microbial Sources | 201 |
| 9 | US20090011480A1 | Use of Cellulosic Materials for Cultivation of Microorganisms | 199 |
| 10 | WO2010063031A2 | Manufacturing of tailored oils in recombinant heterotrophic microorganisms | 172 |
Citation counts favour older records in any searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence within this dataset rather than of present-day importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers say about the field
Reading concentration, growth and technology composition together points to where a filing strategy should and shouldn't start.
Filing sits with a narrow group at the top
The five leading assignees hold 614 of the 1,937 records in scope, and the top ten extend that to 44.7% (866 records). A long tail of single- and few-filing entrants fills the remainder, which is typical of a field built on both incumbent refiners and smaller specialty-chemical or biotech filers.
Recent growth is real, not an artefact of lag
Filings rose from 39 records in 2021 to 65 in 2024 — the last year that can be treated as complete given the roughly 18-month publication lag. The peak year so far, 2023 at 79 records, sits inside that same window.
Refining chemistry and biology overlap
C10G hydrocarbon refining leads the composition, but C12P fermentation and C12N microorganism classes together touch a large share of the same corpus, showing biological oil-production routes are being claimed against the same operational problems as conventional refining.
Filing is US- and Europe-weighted
The United States receives the largest share of filings, with Europe (EPO) and the WIPO PCT route next, followed by Canada, Australia and India. That order suggests the commercial centre of gravity for enforcement and licensing sits in North America and Europe first.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to oil refining & lubricants patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the collaboration sits
A handful of assignees dominate volume, but the strongest co-filing relationships reveal where the field's actual technical partnerships lie.
One filer holds a clear lead
The leading assignee holds 229 records, well ahead of fifth place at 65 and tenth place at 47 — a steep drop-off rather than a gradual one, typical of a field with one dominant portfolio and a broad tail behind it.
Co-filing clusters around a few pairs
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the data; the strongest links two related corporate entities at 37 shared records, with a biotech-and-holding pairing next at 30. These pairings point to internal corporate structuring more than arm's-length technology partnerships.
Recent-year activity has cooled among former leaders
Several assignees who were active earlier in the window show sharply reduced or zero filings in the latest year, including one large filer down 89% year over year. Read this alongside the publication lag rather than as a definitive exit signal.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company | 1 | -89% |
| KOLOMA INC | 1 | -67% |
| Solazyme Inc | 0 | — |
| Dorf Ketal Chemicals (India) Private Limited | 0 | — |
| TerraVia Holdings Inc | 0 | — |
| Corbion Biotech Inc | 0 | — |
| Ecolab USA Inc | 0 | — |
| Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV | 0 | — |
Where to take this next
The dataset points to a field with concentrated leadership, real recent growth and overlapping biological and chemical routes. The next step is turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision specific to one branch.
Check freedom-to-operate against the leader's portfolio
With 31.7% of records held by five assignees, a targeted clearance search against the top-ranked portfolios will surface more risk than a generic prior-art sweep.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaDraft around the under-claimed branches
Corrosion-inhibitor formulation, tubing monitoring and pipeline flow assurance show lighter density than the core refining classes and are worth a first-claim draft before a competitor closes the gap.
Map white space in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
One assignee leads the ranked field with 229 records, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 65 and tenth place at 47. The top five assignees combined hold 614 records, or 31.7% of the 1,937 records in this dataset, so a small group of filers controls a disproportionate share of the claim space. The remainder is held by a long tail of companies with far fewer filings each, which is typical of a field mixing large incumbent refiners with specialty-chemical and biotech entrants.
Filing grew 67% between 2021 (39 records) and 2024 (65 records), with a peak so far of 79 records in 2023. 2024 is the last year that can be treated as complete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the lower counts visible in 2025 and 2026 reflect that lag rather than an actual slowdown. Anyone tracking momentum in this field should anchor comparisons to 2024 rather than the most recent partial years.
Hydrocarbon oils and refining (IPC class C10G) is the largest single class, covering 32.3% of the 1,937 records in scope. Fermentation and enzymatic synthesis (C12P) and microorganism engineering (C12N) follow at 18.9% and 14.1% respectively, showing that biological oil-production routes occupy a meaningful share of the same filing space as conventional refining chemistry. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages add up to more than 100% and should each be read against the full record count, not against one another.
US9115319B2, assigned to Dorf Ketal Chemicals and filed in 2015, covers additive compositions for inhibiting naphthenic acid and sulphur corrosion in hydrocarbon processing units. Its claims are built around a specific reaction product of high-reactive polyisobutylene and phosphorous pentasulphide combined with a thiophosphorous ester, formed as two separate mixtures before blending. Anyone formulating a similar corrosion-inhibitor additive for refinery metal surfaces should review this claim structure closely, since it defines the chemistry route rather than just a general corrosion-inhibition outcome.
Sub-areas such as corrosion-inhibitor formulation for high-sulphur crude, production tubing monitoring, pipeline flow assurance additives and formation fluid characterization show lighter claim density relative to the dominant C10G and C12P classes. These branches sit adjacent to the core refining and fermentation clusters but are not yet as heavily claimed, making them reasonable candidates for a first-claim filing after a targeted clearance search. White space here means fewer competing claims currently on file, not an absence of technical difficulty.
The top ten assignees together hold 44.7% of the 1,937 records in scope, or 866 records, up from 31.7% held by the top five. That step from five to ten filers adding roughly 13 percentage points shows the concentration is steep at the very top and flattens moving down the ranking. Beyond the ranked leaders, ownership spreads across a long tail of assignees with much smaller individual counts.
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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.