Intellectual property arising from innovation can be typically protected with patents. The patent records therefore conveniently reflect the point of arrival of new technologies and the innovative advancements made in existing technologies. We will focus on innovations in natural gas processing published in the patent records nominally filed since 2000.

A proprietary search of the international patent records relating generally to natural gas processing was conducted. The resulting data provides a historical overview of innovations in the natural gas processing field. From an analysis of the data we provide a breakdown of the patent records according to the specific type of technology. We also demonstrate in which country the innovations originate, and more specifically in which field. Key patent filers are identified for each type of technology, including the number of patents filed per applicant.

Specific advances in gas processing technology are discussed with particular attention being paid to innovation in gas sweetening processes. Recent developments in this field facilitate removal of carbon dioxide from natural gas in liquid form, making it readily available for geo-sequestration without significant downstream processing. These advances reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enable development of high carbon dioxide gas fields which were previously considered unviable.