Fluid containment and management system

#The present invention generally relates to a system for the effective containment of fluids, primarily precipitation and effluent arising from operations at a given site, and for management of the contained fluids. The system is particularly well suited to sites intended for gas and oil well drilling, but is also useful with sites for performing other functions that can benefit from improved fluid containment and management, including water, sewage and storm water systems.

#There are currently no consistent regulatory standards, from state to state, governing the construction of environmental protection systems used in the oil and gas exploration and extraction industries. About 80% of states require a raised dike system around storage tanks for produced water and separator tanks for receiving oil, gas and produced water. Some, but not all states require impermeable liners within the dikes. Fluid storage basins are also used for the temporary storage of well production fluids and produced water. However, these basins are lined with an impermeable membrane that is typically not resistant to puncture or shear stresses.

#Typical protection for the well pad itself is often limited to a peripheral dike or berm surrounding the well pad. As an added measure of protection, some installations have used a flexible, 20 mil plastic sheet laid over a 2 foot thick layer of a modified base material, typically limestone. In practice, however, such installations have been found to be susceptible to tire damage from the many heavy vehicles often used at such sites, often having weights on the order of 80,000 lbs., particularly for pressurized fracturing (generally referred to as “fracking”) operations and for water transportation, as well as puncturing by metal drilling system components and other hazardous objects found on well sites.

#FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an example of a site incorporating the fluid containment system of the present invention.

#FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged plan views showing two of the containment systems shown in FIG. 1 in greater detail.

#FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 shown in FIG. 2.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a site incorporating the fluid containment and management system of the present invention. In the illustrated example, the site is a well pad 1 which is typically used for the extraction of natural gas from shale using a “pressurized fracturing” process, which is commonly referred to as “fracking”. It is to be understood, however, that the illustrated well pad 1 is only one example of any of a number of implementations that can make use of the fluid containment and management system of the present invention. For example, the illustrated well pad 1 is generally rectangular, having an area on the order of 180,000 square feet, which is typical for a fracking operation. Nevertheless, both the shape and the size of the well pad 1 can be varied to suit a particular application, location or operating environment, as desired. Variations are also possible to accommodate use of the well pad 1 for other types of drilling operations, in any of a variety of fields other than fracking for purposes of extracting natural gas from shale, including other types of gas and oil well drilling, and various related peripheral activities, for other applications such as water, sewage and storm water management, or for other installations that would benefit from efficient and cost-effective containment and management of the fluids being processed.

#In order to describe the fluid containment and management system of the present invention, the description which follows is given in the general context of a typical installation used for the extraction of natural gas from shale using a fracking process. It is to be understood, however, that the description which is to follow is only illustrative of one such system, and that the overall configuration of the described system, and in particular the dimensions discussed and the materials described for use in implementing such a system, can be freely varied to suit a particular application. As a consequence, the description which follows is not to be interpreted as a limitation of the scope or applicability of a fluid containment and management system produced in accordance with the present invention.

#Referring to FIG. 1, the entire well pad 1 has been fitted with containment systems 2 sized and configured to cover the entire area of the well pad 1. Providing the entire site with containment systems 2 is considered to be preferred, and can be accomplished during construction, in anticipation of the later development of all portions of the well pad 1 for its intended purpose, and to maximize fluid containment at the site. As an alternative, containment systems 2 can be provided in selected regions of the well pad 1, for example, only in regions that are actively being operated, for purposes of cost reduction. Irrespective of the specific configuration of the well pad 1, any portions of the well pad 1 where protection of the environment is necessary or desirable are preferably provided with one or more containment systems 2, as appropriate or desirable.