GROUND THAWING APPARATUS AND METHOD

摘要

A mat for use in a system for and a method of thawing ground. In one embodiment, the invention provides a thaw mat (124) having a flexible heating fluid conduit (132) held in a prearranged configuration and having a lower surface oriented toward the ground in use and an upper surface oriented away from the ground in use. A flexible insulative batting (143) is carried by the heating fluid conduit and overlays the upper surface thereof, the batting and the heating fluid conduit being capable of being repeatedly flexibly deformed as a unit into a compact configuration and deployed as a unit over ground to be thawed. An inlet fitting is attached to an end of the heating fluid conduit and connects the heating fluid conduit to a heated fluid supply. A fluid return fitting is in fluid communication with the heating fluid conduit and with the heated fluid supply in use.