Berms for protective liners

Abstract

Berms for use with protective liners are disclosed. The berms may be configured to allow vehicular traffic to pass over the berms without causing damage. Such drive-over berms may be rigid and shaped to allow vehicle tires to pass over them, or may be resilient and collapsible such that they collapse when subjected to the weight of a vehicle tire, and then spring back to shape after the vehicle passes. Also disclosed are berms that may be stacked for storage and transportation purposes, and berms that include connectors for connecting multiple sections of the berms end-to-end.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 555,523 filed Nov. 4, 2011, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 581,884 filed Dec. 30, 2011, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to liners that protect the environment from spills and leaks at sites such as oil and gas well drilling sites, and more particularly relates to berms for use with such liners.BACKGROUND INFORMATION[0003]In conventional gas and oil drilling, large quantities of drilling mud, fracturing chemicals and flowback water are on site. Many operating companies compact the pad site and place a liner over the entire surface. The liner is pulled over earthen berms, railroad ties, corrugated pipe or foam blocks to form containment sidewalls or berms around the perimeter. The liner and berms then contain the leaks and spills so that on-site vacuum trucks...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides berms for use with protective liners. The berms can be rigid or resilient, and can be stacked for easy storage and transportation. The berms can be connected together using connectors, and can be used with a protective liner to cover portions of the berm. The technical effects of the invention are the ability to protect the liner from damage while allowing vehicular traffic to pass over the berms, and the ease of storage and transportation of the berms.

Problems solved by technology

There are issues with the current berm options.

The liner cannot be directly attached and requires staking.

The earthen berms also tend to collapse into ruts under repeated vehicle traffic.

While railroad ties can be moved from site to site for reuse, they are hard to decontaminate since they are covered in creosote and are absorbent to the chemicals on site.

However, it is easy to crush and unable to support a ramp.

It does not provide a physical barrier to traffic in sensitive areas and cannot be used in drive-over areas.

The drawbacks are: their limited weight which can allow wind uplift, and their poor resistance to being pushed forward into the pad.

These wrinkles are tripping hazards for site personnel.

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