Reservoir Engineering Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- Filing peaked in 2021 at 293 records and had fallen 33% to 196 by 2024, the last year publication lag lets us call complete.
- The top 5 assignees hold 28.5% of all 5,980 records while the ranked field runs 100 companies deep, with most holding only a handful of filings each.
- E21B drilling classifications cover 60.0% of records far ahead of materials science (C09K at 29.9%) and geophysics (G01V at 9.3%), showing where claim space is densest.
Filing growth compares 2021 (293 records) with 2024 (196) — 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 5,980 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
A field consolidating around fewer, larger filers
Reservoir engineering and enhanced recovery patents sit at the intersection of drilling mechanics, formation chemistry and pipeline transport, which is why a single record can carry classifications spanning E21B drilling equipment, C09K treatment materials and G01V geophysical surveying at once. The 5,980 records in scope span 2015 through the 2026 cut-off, though the most recent one to two years are understated because publication typically lags filing by roughly 18 months. Concentration at the top is real but not extreme: the leading assignee holds 453 records, and the top 10 combined account for 45.5% of the field, leaving more than half distributed across a long tail of narrower filers.
Filing activity rose through the shale-driven expansion of the late 2010s, peaked in 2021, and has since declined on the years complete enough to trust. That pattern, combined with a receiving-office mix weighted heavily toward the United States and PCT filings, points to a maturing core claim space rather than a shrinking one — later sections show where the remaining room to file actually sits.
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 5,980-record corpus: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how records distribute across the IPC subclasses that define the technical sub-areas of reservoir engineering and recovery.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Annual filings rose from 210 in 2017 to a peak of 293 in 2021, then declined to 196 by 2024 — a 33% drop over that three-year span. 2025 and 2026 figures (down to 18 in the partial final year) are not yet complete and should not be read as a continuation of that decline.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
E21B (earth and rock drilling) touches 60.0% of all records, confirming that wellbore mechanics remains the structural core of this landscape. C09K materials claims follow at 29.9%, with geophysics (G01V, 9.3%), material testing (G01N, 6.6%) and refining-adjacent classes (C10G, B01D, C01B, C07C, each under 6%) forming a thinner secondary layer. Because records carry multiple classes, these shares sum to well over 100% of the record total.
Shares are the percentage of the 5,980 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Reservoir Engineering & Enhanced Recovery Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about reservoir engineering & enhanced recovery patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records and a representative filing
WO2019125622A1 — Alternating liquid gas fracturing for enhanced oil recovery of well
A fracturing operation stimulates a region of a well by alternating between pumping liquid intervals and injecting gas intervals into that region. The liquid interval can include slick water with or without proppant; the gas interval can use produced gas, injected above or below fracture initiation pressure. In depleted regions the method energizes an existing fracture and carries proppant into it; in under-developed regions it creates a new fracture and carries proppant there, with gas-driven turbulence aiding placement.Filed by Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC, 2019-06-27.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US7121342B2 | Thermal processes for subsurface formations | 428 |
| 2 | US6688387B1 | In situ thermal processing of a hydrocarbon containing formation to produce a hydrocarbon condensate | 423 |
| 3 | US5597042A | Method for controlling production wells having permanent downhole formation evaluation sensors | 399 |
| 4 | US7011154B2 | In situ recovery from a kerogen and liquid hydrocarbon containing formation | 383 |
| 5 | US5732776A | Downhole production well control system and method | 369 |
| 6 | US6782947B2 | In situ thermal processing of a relatively impermeable formation to increase permeability of the formation | 364 |
| 7 | US7077199B2 | In situ thermal processing of an oil reservoir formation | 356 |
| 8 | US6712136B2 | In situ thermal processing of a hydrocarbon containing formation using a selected production well spacing | 352 |
| 9 | US6880633B2 | In situ thermal processing of an oil shale formation to produce a desired product | 348 |
| 10 | US6969123B2 | Upgrading and mining of coal | 340 |
Citation counts favour older filings that have had more time to accumulate citations within this searched corpus — treat them as a signal of historical influence, not current technical relevance.
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 citation data imply
Three figures matter more than the full ranking table: how much of the field the leaders actually hold, where citations cluster, and how the growth curve has bent since its peak.
The top of the field is broad, not narrow
Five companies hold 28.5% of records and ten hold 45.5% — meaningful concentration, but well short of the near-monopoly seen in some patent landscapes. More than half of all filings sit outside the top 10, spread across a ranked field of 100 companies.
Citation leaders are thermal-recovery patents from an earlier era
The most-cited records in this corpus concern thermal and in-situ processing of hydrocarbon-bearing formations — technology that has had years to accumulate citations. New filings in adjacent areas will not show comparable citation counts for some time regardless of merit.
Filing has cooled from its 2021 peak
Annual filings fell from 293 in 2021 to 196 in 2024, the last year complete enough to read reliably. That is a real pullback in a field that expanded steadily through the late 2010s, though it says nothing about the value of individual filings still in prosecution.
Filing strategy is US- and PCT-anchored
The United States receives the largest share of filings by a wide margin, with PCT applications second and Canada, Europe, Australia and the UK forming a secondary tier. That mix reflects where enhanced-recovery operations and litigation risk are concentrated.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to reservoir engineering & enhanced recovery patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Leaders, momentum and where new claims still fit
The ranked field runs 100 companies deep. A handful of oilfield-services and major-operator names anchor the top of the ranking, but recent-year momentum for several of them has turned sharply negative — a sign the core claim space is filling up faster than it is being defended.
One oilfield-services filer sets the pace
The leading assignee's 453 records put it well clear of fifth place (255) and tenth place (175), establishing a services-led rather than operator-led top of the field.
Leaders are pulling back on new filings
Several of the largest historical filers show sharp year-over-year declines in the most recent year, down to single digits or zero. Some of this reflects publication lag rather than a real stop in filing activity, but the direction across multiple leaders at once is notable.
Co-filing clusters around corporate family structures
The strongest co-assignee pairings in this dataset link entities within the same corporate group rather than independent companies partnering — a sign that most collaboration signal here is organisational, not cross-company R&D.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | 5 | -64% |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco) | 1 | -86% |
| Chevron U.S.A. Inc. | 1 | -92% |
| Schlumberger Technology Corp. | 0 | -100% |
| Shell Oil Company | 0 | — |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Technology LLC | 0 | -100% |
| Schlumberger Canada Limited | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this analysis
The figures here describe the shape of the field; deciding where to file, litigate or design around requires drilling into specific claims.
Map claim scope on the densest classes
E21B and C09K together touch most of this corpus. Before filing in drilling mechanics or treatment chemistry, check which specific claim elements the leading assignees already hold versus which are open.
Explore E21B and C09K claims in EurekaTrack momentum shifts among leaders
Several top-10 assignees show sharp pullbacks in the latest year. That can mean a strategic shift, a licensing push, or simply publication lag — worth confirming before reading too much into the trend.
Monitor assignee filing activity in EurekaTest white-space claims before drafting
Under-claimed branches like corrosion-rate monitoring and formation-fluid sensing look open at the subclass level, but a full freedom-to-operate check needs claim-level search, not just IPC counts.
Run a freedom-to-operate search in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
The leading assignee in this dataset holds 453 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked company at 255 and the tenth-ranked at 175. The top 5 assignees together hold 28.5% of all 5,980 records in scope, and the top 10 hold 45.5%. That leaves more than half of the field distributed across a ranked list of 100 companies, so leadership at the top does not mean the space is closed to new entrants.
No — filings peaked in 2021 at 293 records and fell to 196 by 2024, a 33% decline over that span, and 2024 is the most recent year complete enough to trust. Years after 2024 show lower counts still, but that reflects publication lag of roughly 18 months rather than an actual drop in filing activity. Treat any read on 2025 or 2026 filing volume as provisional.
Earth and rock drilling (IPC class E21B) appears in 60.0% of all 5,980 records, making it by far the densest classification. Materials for miscellaneous applications (C09K), which covers many treatment fluids and additives, follows at 29.9%. Geophysics and surveying (G01V), material testing (G01N) and refining-adjacent classes each cover under 10% of records, marking them as comparatively lighter-claimed areas relative to drilling and materials chemistry.
WO2019125622A1, filed by Weatherford Technology Holdings, claims a fracturing method that alternates pumping liquid intervals with injecting gas intervals into a well region, using gas-driven turbulence to help place proppant in either depleted or under-developed formation zones. It is specific to that alternating liquid-gas sequencing and the associated pressure regimes relative to fracture initiation pressure. Work using continuous liquid fracturing, different proppant delivery mechanisms, or gas injection without the alternating pattern sits outside its literal claim scope, though a full freedom-to-operate read requires checking the granted claim language directly.
Based on IPC composition, classes tied to corrosion-rate monitoring, formation-fluid sensing, and refining-process integration with recovery streams carry far fewer records than the dominant drilling and materials classes. Separation processes (B01D) applied to produced fluids also sit well below the core classes at 5.1% of records. These lighter-claimed branches are worth scouting for a first claim, though thin coverage at the subclass level should be confirmed with a claim-level search before drafting.
With the top 5 assignees holding 28.5% of the 5,980 records in scope and the top 10 holding 45.5%, this field shows moderate concentration — meaningful leadership at the top but not a near-monopoly. A ranked list of 100 companies appears in the data, most holding a small number of filings each, which points to a broad base of smaller filers beneath the leaders rather than a two- or three-company market.
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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.