Big D Companies

Big D Companies, trading as Big D Equipment Company, is an oilfield construction and service contractor serving the energy industry in Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. The business was established in September 1977, starting with reserve pit lining, and later added polyethylene pipe installation after acquiring a spooling truck and welding equipment, followed by a pump and generator rental line in 1980. Work spans design, dirt construction, pit lining, fencing and water supply, which the company describes as a turnkey offering for Permian Basin operators.

Design and site construction

An in-house design team of two full-time employees lays out locations, reserve pits, roads and frac pits using Civil 3D CAD and Trimble Business Center software, which the company states lets it design projects without engineered drawings. Sites are surveyed before ground is broken using handheld data collectors and drone survey equipment, and the designs load into the 3D machine control systems.

The construction fleet numbers more than 130 pieces of Caterpillar earthmoving equipment in the Permian Basin, with Trimble 3D machine control fitted across excavators, dozers, motor graders and compactors. Construction work includes:

• Dozer and motor grading
• Excavation, hauling and backhoe work
• Site assessments and clearings
• Drilling locations and pad sites, from smaller vertical pads to multi-well horizontal pads
• New lease roads, plus rebuilds and resurfacing of existing roads
• Multi-acre yards for offices, warehouses, equipment and employee housing

Entrances are built either as paved, Department of Transportation certified access off state highways or as standard caliche entrances with cattle guards. Pad locations are handled through the full life cycle, from staking the site to reclaiming it back to natural grade for surface use requirements.

Frac pits and lining systems

Frac pits are built most commonly from 100,000 barrels up to more than 2 million barrels, for both fresh and produced water. Pits are built in lifts, compacted, and graded to the sump using 3D grading systems.

Lining crews install HDPE liners in single and double lined systems, and each crew carries certified geomembrane technicians, master seamers, on-site weld testing equipment and quality control documentation. The company states its lining systems meet both Texas and New Mexico regulations, and that its construction standards align with Texas Railroad Commission requirements for produced water frac pits. Related pit work covers:

• Extrusion welded boots, geotextile and load lines
• Erosion control and aeration systems
• Bird netting and deterrent systems
• Floating frac pit covers
• Liner removal and disposal
• Pit and location remediations, deep bury and pit closures, and environmental cleanup

Water supply, transfer and treatment

Licensed water well crews install shallow and deep Santa Rosa pumps, and the water well department supplies submersible pumps from one half horsepower to 200 horsepower for both wells and pits, alongside electrical centrifugal booster pumps. The generator department rents and field services more than 450 generators from 20 kW to 1 megawatt output. More than 15 poly pipe crews cover turnkey installation, custom fabrication, rental and sales, trenching, banding and transportation, and rig move installations.

Water transfer runs frac site and pit to pit service, automated blending manifolds, flowback transfer, lay flat hose and diesel transfer pumps. Water treatment adds custom filters with automation and monitoring.

Fencing, automation and rentals

Four full-time fencing crews install an average of 4,500 linear feet per frac pit enclosure, most commonly 6 foot chain link or 8 foot game fence, in temporary or permanent form. Automation products include SCADA, camera systems, production automation, water automation and a mobile gas monitoring system. Rental items include generators, light towers and trash trailers.