When Duke Energy Field Services took over Union Pacific Resources Carthage
gas processing plant and pipeline, it was the final step in buying a portion
of East Texas history. The Carthage plant was constructed shortly before 1950
although the Carthage gas field reaches
back to early in the 20th century.
According
to Lee Kelly's book, Story of the Carthage
Field, the Carthage gas field encompasses most of Panola
County. Its boundaries stretch beyond the city of Carthage to include
Beckville, Deadwood, and the Northern edge of Gary. It comes very close to
encompassing DeBerry as well.
Kelly
pointed out that the Carthage gas field is part of an anticline. An anticline, simply
stated, is a large underground structure, something like an inverted bowl. These
subterranean hills and mountains can be huge salt plugs, like the salt domes in Louisiana
and along the gulf coast, or they can be true hills like the Sabine Uplift. The Uplift an
underground "mountain" of 12,000 to 18,000 square miles, rises several hundred
feet above the most ancient of base rock underlying Northeast Texas and Northwest
Louisiana. Here it creates the Carthage gas Field, the East Texas Oil Field, and a number
of smaller reservoirs.
Canadian
William Logan gets the credit for development of the anticlinal theory of reservoirs while
observing mining terrain in Wales and bays in Nova Scotia.
Using the
rationale that water, oil and gas behave the same way under the ground as above it, Logan
predicted that anticlines would harbor reservoirs of petroleum and water at predictable
levels.
Norman V.
Kinsey, Sr. and his business partner, W.C. Feazel, made major natural gas finds in Panola
County's Carthage field. They also paved the way for today's massive gas plant and
pipeline developments. While working as a land man in Louisiana, Kinsey reached the
conclusion that a huge gas reservoir could be trapped in East Texas.
Using an
earned brokerage commission, Kinsey assembled a lease block of 7,000 acres. His vision
became reality in 1943, when the Jordan No.1 gas well began flowing at a rate of 100
million cubic feet per day.
Ole' number
one was still producing 53 years later when cumulative recorded production had reached
118.9 billion cubic feet in 1996. At that time, the well head meter indicated that 24-hour
production was still averaging over 30,000 cubic feet per day.
Carthage's
own Margie Elizabeth Neal was the first female state senator. Neal and her neighbor, J.T.
Latham, gave natural gas marketing in the Carthage field a major boost in 1945. Neal sold
over 51 acres of land west of Carthage to the Carthage Joint Venture group for
construction of the Carthage Gas Plant. Latham sold the group over 31 acres.
Built by
E.J. Hudson, the gas plant east of Carthage was known as the E.J. Hudson Plant. It was
later owned by Continental-Dorchester Downs, Champlin Petroleum Group and Union Pacific
Resources. Duke Energy Field Services took over the plant and its processing operations on
April 1, 1999.In 1972, the plant was converted to cryogenic operation. Today, it is sited
on 90 acres and encompasses three subplant operations with a total capacity of 490 million
cubic feet of gas per day.
Plant number
one is the original Hudson Plant, which now has a daily capacity of 240 million cubic feet
of gas. Plant number two, added in 1981, had a capacity of 120 million cubic feet per day
and was later upgraded to 140 million cubic feet of gas per day. Plant number three,
finished in 1990 operates at 110 million cubic feet daily capacity. Plant number five, on
the same property, was finished in 1998 and operates at 120 million cubic feet daily
capacity.
Also,
included in Duke Energy's East Texas gas plant complex is the George Gray Plant, finished
in 1993. The plant is located approximately 5 miles north of Carthage and has a daily
capacity of 120 million cubic feet.
Duke
Energy's East Texas Plant gathers from several areas of the Carthage Field. Streams from
various producers go directly to the plant for processing. These streams are derived from
field production and routed through the former United Gas Plant, purchased in 1992 by Koch
Industries.
Cryogenic
operations began at the plant in 1972. The cryogenic process involves super chilling the
treated gas to temperatures of 130-150 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). This action
recovers practically all propane in the gas stream. Ethane capture approaches 75-80
percent.
Earlier
methods included absorption, with recovery rates of about 50 percent propane and no
ethane, or refrigeration, which could capture 75 percent of the propane and trace of
ethane.
Gas from
Panola County's thousands of wells is pumped through compressor stations, treated at the
county's gas plants and routed to various pipelines owned by several carriers.
From there
it enters the steel super highway that makes up the country's pipeline network. Duke
Energy's East Texas Gas Plant plays a vital role in the nation's thousands of miles of
pipeline. In Texas alone there are more than 145,000 miles of intrastate pipeline.
Duke Energy
Field Services employs 69 people in its East Texas operations. Bert Dillmann is the
general manager for East Texas operations.