Neoloy® Geocell Solutions for Energy & Utilities

Access Roads for Oil & Gas Exploration

Provide Firm Ground for Reliable Access and Maintenance

Neoloy® Geocell stabilizes soil for reliable access over any terrain to erect and maintain power lines, cell towers, storage yards and electrical substations. 

The Challenge

Electric, gas and water utilities need reliable access roads through soft, wet soils to install equipment and service roads to maintain it. Heavy vehicles often traverse mountains, valleys and streams, and environmental preserves, while working platforms are need to erect transmission lines, pumping and electrical substations or storage yards over problematic soils. 

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The Neoloy Solution

This is where the innovative Neoloy Geocell 3D mechanical stabilization solution comes in. They were designed for challenges faced by utilities – cost-effective but tougher than the ground for access for any size vehicle over any South African terrain. Neoloy Geocells provide strong, long-term soil stabilization and reinforcement of unpaved gravel roads on weak soils that require little maintenance. 

This enables the transport and erection of transmission for power companies or cellular towers for mobile network operators. Neoloy stabilized gravel yards are suitable for electrical substations as their low conductivity increases operator safety. Neoloy Geocell stabilization solutions are also ideal for water, waste or energy pipeline construction. 

Why Neoloy

The recognized engineering strength and certified long-term durability of Neoloy Geocells provide engineering benefits in terms of load distribution and stabilized road pavements. The combined high elastic stiffness, tensile strength and creep resistance of the Neoloy Geocells guarantees that the Neoloy solution will last for any project lifespan. Coupled with proven smart engineering methods PRS can optimize the required performance for a low cost solution for any utility. 

Benefits

  • Create a semi-rigid “mattress” to better distribute heavy loads 
  • Increased bearing capacity enables a 50% or more reduction in pavement thickness 
  • Simple logistics, fast, all-weather installation 
  • Lower construction costs by reducing amount of infill by up to 70% 
  • Reduce construction costs by utilizing locally available soils (e.g, sand) 
  • Prolong life-cycle, reducing cost of repairs and maintenance
  • Reduce aggregate, hauling and placement, reduces carbon footprint 
  • Enable more sustainable construction and maintenance of transmission facilities. 
  • Prolonged life-cycle, reducing need for repairs, maintenance and rehabilitation

PRS Neoloy Geocells provide value to every phase of the energy production chain.

Stabilize Oil Pads & Drilling Platforms

Create a Strong Base for Drilling Operations with Local Soils

Neoloy Geocells® provide the innovation enabling you to construct oil pads, begin drilling faster, more economically and in a more sustainable manner. 

Oil and gas exploration faces multiple challenges. Drilling site well pads are often constructed in remote areas on unstable ground, such as sand, peat or clays. These soils typically lack the bearing capacity to support drilling platforms, along with the associated operations and production facilities. Importing aggregate to such locations is expensive, while extreme temperatures add to stabilization challenges. 

Create a strong stabilized foundation for drilling platforms and production facilities with sustainable Neoloy Geocell solutions. This unique geosynthetic mechanically stabilizes granular layers by creating a semi-rigid 3D foundation that distributes vertical loads laterally. This stabilizes oil pads over soft soils for both static loading (the platform) and the dynamic loading (drilling or moving the mobile rig). A key advantage of the Neoloy Geocell confinement is that it strengthens locally-available but marginal-quality granular for infill. This eliminates the need to import aggregate long-distance or for subgrade replacement. 

Neoloy Geocells are made from Neoloy®, a novel polymeric alloy (NPA). Neoloy provides very high strength, creep resistance and all-temperature performance that guarantees long-term performance (unlike HDPE geocells). The Neoloy unique engineering properties coupled with PRS smart engineering methodologies, enable you to construct strong, durable oil pads that are maintenance free and guaranteed to last. 

With PRS Neoloy Geocells energy companies in South Africa can access, construct and operate drilling sites in the most reliable and cost-effective manner. 

Benefits

  • Thickness of working platforms reduced by 50% or more 
  • Semi-rigid 3D foundation mattress stabilizes soils with CBR <1% 
  • Neoloy material maintains dimensional stability under extreme loads over time 
  • Significant savings, due to use of local materials for construction 
  • More reliable pavements increase productivity 
  • All-weather use ensures construction and productivity in extreme weather (-60 to +60°C) 
  • Use of local infill reduces need to import aggregate 
  • Lower carbon footprint 
  • Long-term lifespan reduces repairs and maintenance

PRS Neoloy Geocells provide value to every phase of the energy production chain.

Stabilize and Protect Pipelines

Improve Pipeline Access, Construction and Integrity

Neoloy Geocell® solutions provide access for pipeline construction in any environs and stabilization to safeguard the delivery of hydrocarbons downstream.

The first challenge for energy producers is to construct pipelines in difficult environmental and logistical conditions. The second challenge is to ensure the integrity of the pipelines and their safe operation. Neoloy Geocell soil stabilization solutions help energy producers do both. 

Neoloy Geocell 3D mechanically stabilized soil enables producers to construct and maintain pipelines even in the toughest South African conditions. Neoloy stabilized access roads for heavy construction equipment and specialized trailers for the pipe sections makes pipeline construction quicker, more efficient and with the smallest environmental footprint. 

Neoloy Geocells also provide stabilization to protect pipeline integrity. The Neoloy Geocells protects pipelines buried in trenches or on the ground surface from erosive forces or scouring on one hand and buckling or ground movement on the other. Neoloy Geocell mechanically stabilized earth also provide structurally-sound pipeline crossings over rivers, streams and flood channels to protect  from seasonal ice floes and floods. 

The durability of the Neoloy novel polymeric alloy used by Neoloy Geocells has been proven in pipelines in extreme environments from the Siberian arctic to the Kazakhstan deserts. In addition to its high stiffness, creep resistance and tensile strength, Neoloy based Geocells are non-degrading and highly resistant to UV radiation, chemicals and water. Neoloy cellular confinement systems can also provide physical protection for animal or vehicular crossings over the pipelines as well as from accidental or harmful human activities. 

Benefits

  • Withstands long-term dynamic or static loading without deformation 
  • Proven engineering parameters guarantee long-term design life 
  • Flexibility dampens vibrations and ground movement for seismic resistance
  • Use locally available borrow pits for structural infill and soil stabilization 
  • Reduce or eliminate need to import aggregate for large distances 
  • Effective service range from -60° to +60°C 
  • Protect pipelines in locations prone to seismic activity, trafficking, flooding and ice 
  • Provides reliable and safe transportation for equipment, vehicles and work crews and vehicles 
  • Strong environmental durability from temperature, aging, hydrocarbons and water

PRS Neoloy Geocells provide value to every phase of the energy production chain.

Stabilized Roads for Power & Utilities

Provide Firm Ground for Reliable Access and Maintenance

Neoloy® Geocell stabilizes soil for reliable access over any terrain to erect and maintain power lines, cell towers, storage yards and electrical substations. 

Electric, gas and water utilities need reliable access roads through soft, wet soils to install equipment and service roads to maintain it. Heavy vehicles often traverse mountains, valleys and streams, and environmental preserves, while working platforms are need to erect transmission lines, pumping and electrical substations or storage yards over problematic soils. 

This is where the innovative Neoloy Geocell 3D mechanical stabilization solution comes in. They were designed for challenges faced by utilities – cost-effective but tougher than the ground for access for any size vehicle over any South African terrain. Neoloy Geocells provide strong, long-term soil stabilization and reinforcement of unpaved gravel roads on weak soils that require little maintenance. 

This enables the transport and erection of transmission for power companies or cellular towers for mobile network operators. Neoloy stabilized gravel yards are suitable for electrical substations as their low conductivity increases operator safety. Neoloy Geocell stabilization solutions are also ideal for water, waste or energy pipeline construction. 

The recognized engineering strength and certified long-term durability of Neoloy Geocells provide engineering benefits in terms of load distribution and stabilized road pavements. The combined high elastic stiffness, tensile strength and creep resistance of the Neoloy Geocells guarantees that the Neoloy solution will last for any project lifespan. Coupled with proven smart engineering methods PRS can optimize the required performance for a low cost solution for any utility. 

Benefits

  • Create a semi-rigid “mattress” to better distribute heavy loads 
  • Increased bearing capacity enables a 50% or more reduction in pavement thickness 
  • Simple logistics, fast, all-weather installation
  • Lower construction costs by reducing amount of infill by up to 70% 
  • Reduce construction costs by utilizing locally available soils (e.g, sand) 
  • Prolong life-cycle, reducing cost of repairs and maintenance
  • Reduce aggregate, hauling and placement, reduces carbon footprint 
  • Enable more sustainable construction and maintenance of transmission facilities. 
  • Prolonged life-cycle, reducing need for repairs, maintenance and rehabilitation

PRS Neoloy Geocells provide value to every phase of the energy production chain.

Fly Ash Waste Management

Long-term Reliable Protection for Waste Containment Ponds

One Neoloy Geocells® solution protects geomembrane liners, reinforces pond foundations and stabilizes slopes for leak detection systems 

South African, coal-fired power stations produce enormous amounts of fly ash (also known as coal waste) as a by-product. As a potential pollutant, fly ash must be disposed of and stored safely in protected landfill dumps or lagoons. The bottom foundation and the slopes of these ponds should be reinforced to protect the geomembrane/liners. Stabilization is also required to confine the sand in an optional leak detection system. 

Conventional concrete solutions are expensive to build, do not tolerate earth movements and a 40+ year lifespan is not always guaranteed. 

Innovative Neoloy Geocells are the ideal solution for safely and efficiently managing fly ash waste in a cost-effective manner. They provide proven protection that is both sustainable and durable for the design life of the project. This unique geosynthetic stabilizes slopes and foundations, ensuring their reliability and preventing runoff and leakage into the environment. 

The strength, stiffness and durability of Geocells made from Neoloy® – a novel polymeric alloy (NPA) – are its key advantage. Neoloy Geocells can be guaranteed for up to 75 years, aligning them with the decades-long design life of waste containment facilities for long-term, fail-safe protection. 

The unique performance parameters of Neoloy Geocells, coupled with PRS smart engineering methods, enables energy producers to reliably and cost-effectively manage fly ash waste. 

Benefits

  • Strong soil reinforcement for foundations or slopes 
  • Straightforward and quick installation process 
  • Unique Neoloy material guarantees protection for geo-liners 
  • Reduced construction costs, due to swift installation 
  • Reduced infill costs due to ability to use locally available marginal soils 
  • Reduced construction, transportation costs
  • Reduced carbon footprint, due to utilization of local infill 
  • Reliable protection against fly-ash pollution 
  • Extended life-cycle, reduces needed to replace materails 

 

  • Enable year-round operations including rainy season with all-weather roads 
  • Increase road bearing capacity in terms of loads and traffic 
  • Save wear and tear on tires and haul truck equipment 
  • Reduce construction costs – construct stronger roads with less resources 
  • Extend lifespan and reduce maintenance 
  • Improve soil bearing capacity – stabilize even weakest soil 
  • Increase infill modulus – achieve higher strength at lower costs 
  • Reduce layer/infill thickness – without sacrificing performance 
  • Increase pavement strength – for any size load and decrease maintenance cycles 
  • Best erosion control practice – protect slopes, geomembranes 
  • Enhance vegetation and landscapes 
  • Excellent drainage and protection from rain, runoff and storm water 
  • Permanent solution designed to last 
  • Maximum stabilization at minimum costs 
  • Easy logistics and fast construction 
  • Provide green face 
  • Strong, durable and high seismic reliability 

Your Success Starts Here. Contact Us to Evaluate Neoloy Tough-Cells Solution