Produced water ponds and evaporation
Produced water comes up with oil and gas. It is usually saline and can carry traces of oil. Where it is not reinjected or treated, it is held in lined ponds for storage or evaporation. The design issues are those of a brine evaporation pond, plus compatibility with the hydrocarbons in the water.
Drilling mud pits and reserve pits
Drilling fluids and cuttings can contain salts, oil and chemical additives. A lined pit keeps them out of the ground while the well is drilled and until the pit is closed. These pits are often built quickly and used for a short time, so panel layout, welding and testing have to keep pace with the rig schedule.
Flare pits and burn pits
HDPE is a thermoplastic that is welded with heat, so it must never be exposed to flame or hot liquids. In flare and burn pits the liner is kept out of reach of the heat, normally buried under a soil or sand cover, exactly as the approved design sets out. We install to that design and never leave liner exposed in the burn zone.
Oily water ponds and oil sludge pits
These ponds hold water and sludge contaminated with oil. HDPE suits them because it resists most oils (see chemical compatibility below). Plan protected access for vacuum trucks and sludge removal, since equipment is the main cause of liner damage.
Spill containment, emergency ponds and tank farms
Emergency ponds receive oil or water during upsets and spills, and tank-farm bunds hold a tank's contents if it fails. Both need a continuous welded liner, sealed around every pipe and support.
Chemical compatibility with hydrocarbons
HDPE resists most oils, but not every hydrocarbon equally. Manufacturers' published chemical-resistance tables rate HDPE as little or not affected by diesel and lubricating oil, expect only a minor effect from crude oil, a minor to moderate effect from gasoline and kerosene, and a severe effect from concentrated xylene. Temperature matters as well.
For an unusual fluid or a high-risk pond, test the liner in the actual fluid using US EPA Method 9090, the standard compatibility test for wastes and membrane liners.
Working on live sites: JSA and work permits
On operating plants we work under the facility's work permit system, with a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) for every task, daily safety briefings and emergency response protocols, to Saudi Aramco, SABIC and Royal Commission HSE standards.
Frequently asked questions
Can HDPE be used in a flare pit?
Only where it is kept away from the heat. HDPE is a thermoplastic and cannot take flame or hot liquids, so in flare and burn pits it is buried under a soil or sand cover as the approved design specifies. Exposed liner must never be left in the burn zone.
Do you work as a subcontractor on oil and gas projects?
Yes. We work both as a direct contractor and as a specialist lining subcontractor to main contractors and EPC companies, on ponds, pits and containment areas at oil and gas fields and GOSPs.