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Construction Mats Support Heavy Equipment & Vehicles Over Soft Ground

October 4, 2017 3:33 AM
BOE Report Staff

A common challenge that project managers face is completing construction projects on time and within budget—especially when building access roads, oil platforms and pads or pipelines in extremely soft soils and in difficult-to-access areas. Construction mats are often used to help address soft ground and remote site issues.

Commonly used legacy construction mats are made from timber, laminate, steel and heavy composite. They can be effective, but are also costly and require heavy equipment to install—putting laborers at risk of injury.

The ideal mats for access roads, platforms and pad construction are:

  • designed with a high utility-to-weight ratio.
  • easy-to-handle without heavy equipment.
  • environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient.

Proven GEOTERRA® Mats—Strong, Lightweight—Ground Protection Solution

Presto’s GEOTERRA construction mats were developed exactly for these challenging conditions. They are made from weather-resistant HDPE and were created to meet the needs of major oil and gas companies working in remote areas where wet, soft ground is the norm. Transporting materials to remote sites by helicopter precipitated the need for light, strong mats for work platforms and access roads. The first of its kind, GEOTERRA mats capitalized on the sustainable characteristics of recycled polyethylene, which offers an efficient, strong design for a variety of access applications. The cost advantages of GEOTERRA mats over legacy mat systems and imported materials are significant—savings as high as 70%.

GEOTERRA mats form a strong working platform in a remote oilfield location where aggregate resources are scarce and costly.

GEOTERRA mats support heavy equipment and vehicles – more than five times H-20 pressures, and reduce mud tracking.

Safest, Fastest Access to Energy Resources

Typical applications for GEOTERRA mats include working platforms for oil and gas exploration, maintenance and access roads, pipeline construction access, material storage pads and helipads. They are effectively employed over soft, wet ground and as tracking pads to remove excess soil from vehicle treads.

No special procedures or equipment are required for installation so they are safer to deploy than traditional mats. Pre-assembly, on or off-site, into larger mat sections enables fast installation at remote sites. The enhanced design and construction flexibility allows for building mats sized exactly for each project site. Upon project completion, the GEOTERRA mats can be safely disassembled, removed and reused as required.

Installed over a high strength geotextile, GEOTERRA mats effectively bridge extremely soft soil areas for access to oil and gas, transmission and other energy sources.

Low-Environmental Impact

As polyethylene is a chemically inert material, GEOTERRA oilfield mats offer a low-environmental impact approach as they do not degrade, weather, or leach into the subsurface.  Additionally, thousands of trees can be saved when compared to the use of timber mats.

Fastest Mat to Mobilize; Easy Removal & Reuse

With the ability to disassemble, remove and reuse, GEOTERRA mats represent a low life-cycle cost solution. Even the most difficult site challenges can be overcome by combining this portable mat system with the correct underlayer and anchoring system. The easy removal also allows for complete restoration of your site and minimal environmental disturbance. Learn more about GEOTERRA Portable Ground Protection Mats >>

For project assistance, contact Presto Geosystems at 800-548-3424 or 920-738-1328.

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