Indicadores de patentes para o monitoramento tecnológico em aços para dutos utilizados em transporte de hidrocarbonetos
Abstract
Most part of the hydrocarbons reserves used in the global energy matrix are far
from their main consumer markets. One of the most technically and
economically viable means for such transport is carrying it out through
pipelines, mostly built in steel. Technical challenges such as low temperatures
and acid environments demands innovative products and processes that,
consequently, require research and development of new materials and
processes. This study aimed to analyze the technological development of steel
for hydrocarbons pipelines through the patent indicators from documents
indexed in the Derwent Innovations Index base between the years 1971 and
2014. The developed indicators includes temporal evolution, life cycle of
technology, identification of the alloying elements, technologies for products
processing and properties required, and also comparison among major
developers and their interest markets. The number of patent documents on the
subject increased significantly during the study period. Some countries stand
out due to the number of patent applications with different behaviors about their
inventions protection along other territories. The main holders are Japanese
companies while China was the country that had the highest growth trend of
deposits in steels for pipelines. The most prominent alloys were those
containing manganese, chromium, molybdenum and titanium additions, and
these are intended to assist in the technological challenges, like the
improvement of mechanical properties and resistance to sour environments,
while in terms of production processes, the most cited were rolling followed by
heat treatments and thermomechanical processes. An analysis from alloys
containing manganese at levels above 1.5 wt. % evidences that patent
documents in this sector anticipates standards, at least regarding the amount of
alloying elements present in the steels.