The effective containment of potential environmental contaminants is critical in a number of applications, including in oil fields, drilling installations, loading and distribution areas, fracking and completion areas, and other areas where potential environmental contaminants are to be contained. For example, oil and gas production activities commonly require the use of chemicals, drilling fluids, and other potentially hazardous materials for production. The containment of environmental pollutants while providing a safe and durable working surface for persons and equipment traversing the same are vitally important and well-recognized needs.
A variety of technologies have been introduced to control the escape of environmental pollutants. In one such technology, containment materials are disposed atop a ground surface in a production area seeking to provide a barrier to the escape of contaminants, including the chemicals, drilling fluids, and other materials used in production. The containment materials seek to prevent contaminant infiltration into the ground and to avoid environmental pollution deriving from potential spills of the materials used and those produced. Properly implemented, assembled, and intact, such containment materials capture pollutants prior to their escape into the environment and provide a work surface for persons and equipment.
As is noted, for instance, in European Patent Publication No. 2,589,705 of Powell for Ground Containment Liners, it has been known for many years in the art of containment systems and methods for production areas, such as oil and gas production areas, to provide a geomembrane containment material formed by a low permeability synthetic membrane liner or barrier. The geomembrane was typically formed from continuous polymeric sheeting to control fluid migration. As Powell further recognizes, it has been a common practice in the field of containment systems and methods to apply a layer of geotextile, such as needle-punched polypropylene felt, under the geomembrane to protect the geomembrane from punctures, such as from the heavy equipment that often must travel over the geomembrane.
Prior art systems and methods are also known wherein a geotextile layer is disposed over a geomembrane layer seeking to increase traction. Indeed, looking to U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,134 to Mohammed, et al., which is discussed in the background portion of Powell and which was filed in 1994, containment materials with a geomembrane layer as a barrier and a geotextile layer under the geomembrane layer for damage protection have been used in the field for nearly fifty years. Mohammed notes that the geotextile layer in such combinations were known to be made of nonwoven or woven material.
Powell recognizes the slip hazards presented by prior art geomembranes used for containment in oil and gas sites, noting that they are extremely slippery to work on. Powell further notes the prior art practice of placing a geotextile layer over a geomembrane layer without bonding the two together and how such geotextile layers can slip and slide to produce a slip hazard. Throughout, Powell discloses asserted solutions with the goal of providing slip resistance, emphasizing that Powell's embedded polymeric barrier layer should not extend through the entire thickness of the felt to prevent slipperiness and, further, that the composite can be treated with brine solutions to prevent slippery ice from accumulating during cold weather.
Despite roughly fifty years of geotextile fabric layers being used above, below, and above and below geomembrane barrier layers in containment systems and despite the oft-stated need for providing slip resistance, increased traction, and fluid management in such applications, the surface of the geotextile layer in containment materials for production areas and other hazardous material situations has invariably been flat. Concomitantly, the need for a high-traction, durable, puncture and leak-resistant containment material has thus long existed and has been critical to safety and minimized environmental impacts.
The present inventors have thus recognized the need for containment material for forming containment systems for ground protection that is rugged, reusable, recyclable, and repairable, and that can be easily installed and maintained to avoid environmental impact while providing improved traction and safe use to persons and equipment.