Ecopetrol granted 15 new patents so far this year
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Ecopetrol granted 15 new patents so far this year
Nov 29, 2022
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Over the past three months, patents were received for 9 inventions in Colombia, Venezuela, and the United States.
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These technologies improve the production water treatment process, reduce the carbon footprint and mitigate gasoline emissions.
To date in 2022, Ecopetrol has achieved a total of 15 patents in Colombia and abroad focused on technology solutions that reduce the environmental impact of operations and improve the quality of hydrocarbon exploration and production processes. Nine inventions received patents over the last three months from Colombian, Venezuelan, and US authorities.
The new patents include technologies for fluids separation during the crude oil extraction process to begin treating the water produced in the wells, as well as the use of nanotechnology to control microorganisms in production water and pipe deterioration in oil fields.
Likewise, three of these inventions are for state-of-the-art technological equipment and systems, which were designed to reduce costs in the first phase of the crude oil production process, reduce the carbon footprint generated by the industry, and develop environmental studies in marine ecosystems using an underwater glider.
In Colombia, the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) recently granted the following products this intellectual property protection mechanism:
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Description and process to control the fluctuation of oil production from surface fluids for heavy crude oil at the wellhead
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Method to procure a nanobicide comprising zinc oxide nanoparticles and cationic amino compounds for microbial control in the oil and gas industry
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A submersible device to take measurements at great depths in the ocean (housing with a fluid dynamic profile)
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Simulation equipment to asses plugging fluids to control losses in drilling fluids
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Compact flotation device for production water treatment
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Method and equipment to determine the volumetric contraction of extra-heavy crude mixtures with light hydrocarbons, which includes an in-line static mixer and vacuum generation
The most notable patents granted abroad
In the United States, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) registered the invention titled “Method for improving the flow capacity and increasing the dilution capacity of diluents in methods for the production and transport of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils coming from the different phases of recovery of deposits (primary, secondary and enhanced)” developed jointly with the firm Polynex S.A.S.
The technology consists of a chemical compound system that increases the efficiency of the hydrocarbon production and transportation processes, seeking to reduce the use of naphtha and lessen its environmental impact.
On the other hand, in Venezuela, the products patented are "Processes for the treatment of heavy and extra-heavy crudes at the wellhead to improve their transport conditions" and a method for the fluidization of sludge and recovery of hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon storage tanks called “Bituminous material from oily sludge and/or hydrocarbon fractions and its method of production”.
These initiatives, which have already been patented in Colombia, aim to reduce the viscosity of heavy and extra-heavy crude oil from the Llanos Orientales and facilitates for its transportation through pipelines, ultimately providing cost saving and increasing process efficiencies.
The other technological solution includes a method to clean the crude storage tanks and recover more of the product that, due to temperature changes, builds at the bottom of these containers as oily sludge.
These recognitions of the Company’s innovation continue to place Ecopetrol as the leading company in patent procurement in Colombia, having achieved a total of 123 patented technologies.
Piedecuesta, Santander, November 29, 2022
