Company patents

ConocoPhillips Company

ConocoPhillips Company's patent strategy reveals a surprising shift away from core energy and materials technologies, with significant declines across most categories. While Drilling & Mining still dominates with 62.2% of its portfolio, it saw a sharp 31.0% decline in 2025 and a 60.0% decline so far in 2026, mirroring similar drops in Petroleum / Hydrocarbon Refining (-66.7% in 2025) and Functional Materials (-100.0% so far in 2026), suggesting a broad de-emphasis on traditional energy and material science innovation.

Patent Trend by Technology Area

Yearly patent publications since 2023

Product themes

Product-level themes inferred from filings since 2023, with category chips showing where each theme appears. Select a theme to filter the patents below.

259 US filings (since 2023) · 11 categories · 20 themes

Automated Well Operations & Control

Systems and methods employing sensors, data processing, and control algorithms to automate and optimize drilling, fracturing, and fluid production processes in real-time.

Drilling & Mining
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148since 2023
-30.0%YoY
Downhole Power & Electrical Systems

Methods and apparatus for generating, storing, and distributing electrical power within a wellbore, or for powering downhole tools and systems from the surface.

Drilling & Mining
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133since 2023
-28.6%YoY
Downhole Wellbore Sensing

Deployment and operation of specialized sensors within wellbores to monitor formation properties, fluid flow, and well integrity, often using acoustic, optical, or radiation-based methods, and integrating with well operations.

Drilling & MiningGeophysics & Gravity Measurement
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97since 2023
-29.4%YoY
Wellbore Treatment Fluids

Specialized fluid compositions, including additives and inhibitors, used in oil and gas exploration and production for purposes like drilling, fracturing, cementing, corrosion inhibition, and formation stimulation.

Drilling & MiningFunctional Materials (LCD, Lubricants)
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50since 2023
-20.0%YoY
Advanced Drilling & Wellbore Tools

Design and engineering of specialized mechanical and electrical tools for drilling, coring, perforating, and manipulating equipment within the wellbore environment.

Drilling & Mining
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27since 2023
-30.8%YoY
Geophysical Data Processing

Techniques for enhancing, interpreting, and modeling subsurface data, including seismic, electromagnetic, and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, often involving advanced signal processing, inversion, and parallel computing methods.

Geophysics & Gravity Measurement
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16since 2023
-28.6%YoY
Advanced Separation & Recovery Systems

Novel or optimized methods and apparatus for efficiently separating desired products, recovering valuable components, or managing effluents from complex hydrocarbon mixtures and refining processes.

Petroleum / Hydrocarbon Refining
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16since 2023
-66.7%YoY
Emerging Contaminant Removal

Specific techniques and materials developed to remove persistent or difficult-to-treat pollutants from water, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), micropollutants, or specific industrial chemicals.

Water / Sewage Treatment
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11since 2023
0.0%YoY
Hydroprocessing & Desulfurization

Chemical processes that utilize hydrogen to remove impurities like sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen from hydrocarbon feedstocks, or to saturate aromatic compounds, often employing specific catalysts and process conditions.

Petroleum / Hydrocarbon Refining
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11since 2023
-50.0%YoY
Gas Stream Purificationfiltered

Technologies and systems for removing unwanted components or separating desired gases from a mixed gas stream, including adsorption, absorption, and membrane-based methods.

Separation Processes (Filtration, Distillation)
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8since 2023
-60.0%YoY
Sustainable Fuel & Hydrogen Production

Systems and methods for producing fuels, such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), or hydrogen with a reduced carbon intensity, often leveraging alternative feedstocks, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, or integrated energy recovery.

Petroleum / Hydrocarbon Refining
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7since 2023
0.0%YoY
Geothermal Energy Extraction

Technologies and systems specifically designed for extracting thermal energy from subterranean heat sources, including magma reservoirs or low-permeability fractured formations.

Drilling & Mining
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6since 2023
-33.3%YoY
Specialty Solvents and Coolants

Formulated liquid compositions designed for specific industrial applications, such as non-flammable cleaning, thermal management in electronics, or as low-viscosity, high-flash-point base fluids.

Functional Materials (LCD, Lubricants)
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3since 2023
n/a
Advanced Security & Inspection Systems

Systems employing various sensing modalities, including X-ray, fiber optics, ground-penetrating radar, and image analysis, for detecting threats, monitoring perimeters, and inspecting objects in security or transportation contexts.

Geophysics & Gravity Measurement
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2since 2023
new
Advanced Oxidation & Disinfection

Processes that use strong oxidants, electrochemical methods, sonic waves, or other energy-intensive techniques to break down organic pollutants, disinfect water, or facilitate contaminant separation.

Water / Sewage Treatment
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2since 2023
new
Water & Wastewater Membrane Treatment

Membrane-based separation for water purification, contaminant removal, desalination, and wastewater treatment, including reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and forward osmosis modules.

Water / Sewage Treatment
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2since 2023
0.0%YoY
Flowmeter Design & Diagnostics

Innovations in the construction, integration, and operational verification of flow measurement devices, including methods for calibration, fault detection, and structural integrity monitoring.

Flow / Volume Measurement
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2since 2023
n/a
Sludge & Waste Valorization

Methods for treating solid or semi-solid waste (sludge, litter, industrial byproducts) from water treatment processes, often with a focus on reducing volume, detoxifying, or recovering valuable resources like energy (biogas), chemicals, or materials.

Water / Sewage Treatment
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2since 2023
n/a
Industrial & Bioprocess Filtration

Membrane and depth filtration for industrial separation, gas purification, and bioprocess clarification including cross-flow, dead-end, tangential flow filtration, and oil/water separation.

Petroleum / Hydrocarbon RefiningSeparation Processes (Filtration, Distillation)
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1since 2023
n/a
Multiphase Fluid Measurement

Technologies for measuring the flow rate, level, or composition of mixtures containing multiple fluid phases (e.g., liquid-liquid, liquid-gas, liquid-solid suspensions), often employing specialized sensing principles to differentiate components.

Flow / Volume Measurement
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1since 2023
n/a

Patents

Showing 1-10 of 11

Gas Stream Purification
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