The Indiana boom is the period of active drilling and natural gas production at Trenton Gas Field, in the US state of Indiana and northwest of Ohio. The explosion began in the early 1880s and lasted until the early 20th century.
When Indiana's natural gas belt was discovered, people were unaware of what they found. Nearly a decade passed without any action to recover resources. Once the significance is realized, further exploration shows the Indiana gas belt is the largest natural gas deposit found to date. In addition to the massive quantity of natural gas, in the 1890s the developers discovered that the field also contained the first giant oil reserves found in the US, with an estimated one billion barrels of oil. Resources are quickly tapped for use. Because gas is being wasted, the Indiana General Assembly seeks to regulate its use. In a series of cases, the Indiana Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the law.
A poor understanding of oil and gas wells at the time led to the loss of approximately 90% of natural gas with ventilation to the atmosphere or with widespread abuse. By 1902 the yield of the fields began to decline, leading to a shift to alternative forms of energy. With most of the gas being removed from the field, there is no longer enough pressure to pump oil out of the ground. An estimated 900 million barrels (140 million m 3 ) oil remain in the field. Advances in artificial lifting technology have led to the extraction of some oils, but at a relatively slow rate and high cost compared to more productive fields.
Video Indiana gas boom
Discovery
Natural gas was first discovered in Indiana in 1876. Coal miners in Eaton City are boring looking for coal. After they reached a depth of about 600 feet (180 m), a loud noise came from the ground and a foul smell came from the hole. The incident frightened the miners. Some believe they have broken the hell's ceiling. They pit a hole and do not drill again at that location.
In 1884, natural gas was discovered in Ohio and the news of the discovery was published in a local Indiana newspaper. Eaton residents recall an early incident near their city and realized the magnitude of the discovery. Back on the site, the company reopened the hole and drilled 322 feet (98 m), releasing a large amount of gas. When the escape gas is lit, the fire reaches 120 meters into the air and is visible from Muncie.
Gas fever swept the country and thousands of gas wells were created. The explorers found that the gas field is the largest natural gas field found to date, covering an area of ​​5,120 square miles (13,300 km 2 ). The belt is then called Trenton Gas Field. Drilling found large amounts of oil other than natural gas. The Trenton Gas Field is almost completely interconnected, so wells in one location lower the pressure across the field. Whenever the new hole is bored, the pipe is made from the main line. It was lit with a constant flame as evidence that the gas was flowing. Although burning such a fire wastes a large amount of resources, the practice becomes common. Flare gas constant combustion is called "flambeau" .
Maps Indiana gas boom
Boom
The discovery of gas stimulated industrial development in northern Indiana. The Ball Corporation opened in Muncie, using cheap fuel to make glass. Other producers also moved to the area, including the Kokomo Rubber Company; Company Hemmingray Bottle and Glass Isolation Company; and Maring, Hart, and Company.
Iron and other metal producers, attracted by cheap fuels, established factories. Cheap fuel is the main reason US Steel picks northern Indiana for their operations. Other cities in northern Indiana are also growing, including the City of Hartford and the City of Gas. Gas City is at the center of the gas field and has access to the strongest pressure, with between 300 pounds per square inch (2,100 kPa) and 350 pounds per square inch (2,400 kPa). In 1892, Gas City had a population of 150, but two years later the population increased to 25,000.
Off-field cities are piped gas, and fuel is exported throughout the Midwest. Indiana Natural Gas and Oil was formed by a group of Chicago entrepreneurs led by Charles Yerkes. The company employs Elwood Haynes as their inspector and oversees the laying of the first long-distance natural gas pipeline in the US, connecting Chicago with Trenton Field for more than 150 miles (240 km). One major use for gas is turning on the lights. The wealth and industry brought by the well caused a rapid population shift to northern Indiana. South Indiana, in comparison, never recovered from the embargo during the Civil War and suffered economic setbacks. The northern part of the country attracts new jobs. The explosion led to the rapid development of pumping and piping technology by regional gas and oil companies. Inventors, like Elwood Haynes, developed many different tools and methods that advance the industry.
As gas use increases, many scientists warn that more gas is being wasted than being used effectively by industry, and inventories will soon run out. Almost every town in northern Indiana has one or more gas wells. The producer turns on the flambeau on each well to show the gas flowing. Indiana General Assembly tried to stop the practice by limiting open burning. The law meets with violent opposition. Many city leaders, who came to rely on gas revenues, dismissed claims that the well would be dry. This practice consumes a lot of gas; INGO conducted its own investigation and found that its flambeaus spent $ 10,000 in gas each day, and ordered that the practice be stopped. Regardless of their findings, other companies do not follow their example. Although INGOs implement anti-waste measures, they are vehemently opposed to regulations they consider to inhibit productivity - especially regulations aimed at increasing artificial gas pressure.
Elwood Haynes filed a lawsuit a month after the law was passed into law, claiming that the government has no authority to regulate the industry. This challenge dragged on in court for several years until the Indiana Supreme Court declared constitutional legislation in 1896.
Almost every community in Trenton Field has a gas well. Many are bought by local governments, which use income for community facilities. Many cities and towns install free gas lights throughout their community, supplied by their own gas wells. Communities also channel gas to private homes to provide cheap heating fuel, helping make urban living more desirable. Gas is used to generate electricity that runs electric street cars in some cities. Employers also set up companies to buy gas from local markets and sell them wholesale in the national market.
Decline
Extravagant practices quickly deplete the gas field. At the turn of the century, the output of the well began to decline. Some flambeats have been burning for nearly two decades; slowly their fire becomes shorter and weaker. Modern experts estimate that as much as 90% of natural gas is wasted in flambeau exhibitions. In 1903 the needs of factories and cities for alternative energy sources led to the creation of a number of coal-fired power plants.
The oil lasted a few years longer, but experience in the early oil drilling industry caused problems. Manufacturers are unaware of the relationship between pressure provided by natural gas and the ability to pump oil from wells. The pressure began to decline rapidly toward the turn of the century. In 1895 the pressure was at 164 psi, in 1897 it was 191 psi, in 1898 173 psi. When the pressure drops to about 150 psi, oil begins to move to the top of the field, but since natural gas has been released and the pressure drops between 130 psi, there is no way to pump the remaining oil in the field.
Oil production in Indiana peaked in 1905 with more than 11 million barrels (1,700,000 m 3 ) pumped that year. In 1910 the abundant resources slowed to a little. At that time new industries have moved into the country, and the decline in the gas industry has not had a major negative impact. The availability of cheap energy has attracted so many new industries that Indiana has become one of the leading industrialized nations. The northern Indiana economy continues to grow until the Great Depression begins in the next decade. In total, more than 1 trillion cubic feet (28Ã, km 3 ) of natural gas and 105 million barrels (16.7 million m 3 ) oil are thought to have been extracted from fields.
Smaller natural gas pockets exist in Indiana at depths that can not be reached during the boom era. The country still has a small natural gas-producing industry in 2008, but the population and industry consume twice as much natural gas as the country does. In 2005 there were 338 active natural gas wells at Trenton Field. In 2006 Indiana produced more than 290 million cubic feet (8,200,000 m 3 ) of natural gas. This makes it the 24th largest producer country, well below the major producers.
It is estimated that only 10% of the oil is drilled from Trenton Field, and about 900 million barrels (140,000,000 m 3 ) can remain. Due to the size of the field, pumping the gas back into the well to increase pressure, as is usually done in smaller fields, is impossible. Due to the depth and limitations of hydraulic pumps, it is never effective to use them to extract oil. New in the 1990s found an efficient method of artificial removal. This has allowed some oil to be extracted, but at a much higher cost than when sufficient natural gas was present.
See also
- Indiana history
- Peak gas
Note
Source
- Glass, James A.; Kohrman, David (2005). Gas Boom in Central Indiana East . Arcadia Publishing. ISBNÃ, 0-7385-3963-5.
- Gray, Ralph D (1995). The History of Indiana: The Book of Reading . Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN: 0-253-32629-X.
External links
- . Retrieved 2008-10-17 .
- Oil and Gas in Indiana
- "Natural Gas Boom, Tipton County," poetry by Jared Carter
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments