Waking a sleeping buffalo: MSU students explore renewable energy on the Hi-Line

published on Monday, May 30, 2005 10:34 PM MDT

By JEAN ARTHUR, MSU News Service

Three Montana State University engineering students recently examined ways to wake a sleeping buffalo -- not the powerful American bison, but the potential power under the earth's surface at Sleeping Buffalo Resort on Montana's Hi-Line.

The resort features two hot-springs mineral pools, lodging, dining and recreation.

It also was ringing up a $50,000 annual power bill.

So resort owner Roger Ereaux of Saco sought help from MSU engineering students Clint Finlayson of Conrad, Matthew Lames of Dayton, Wyo., and Josh Ricardi of Gardiner, who researched how renewable energy might help Ereaux lower his power bills.

The three students examined geothermal, micro hydro, wind and solar sources from different engineering disciplines: mechanical, electrical and industrial engineering.

"Creating an alternative energy system which saves money is not easy," Iames said. "If it were, everyone would be doing it, and we would not have coal or nuclear power."

The project got its start when MSU mechanical engineering professor Doug Cairns had breakfast at Sleeping Buffalo while pheasant hunting in the area.

"The owner began telling me about how much he has to spend on electricity and propane for heating the place," Cairns said. "It would make sense to utilize the natural geothermal resource that's right there."

A well-known geothermal structure exists about 3,200 feet below much of the Hi-Line. Oil crews discovered artesian waters in the 1920s and WPA workers dug a well in the 1930s.

The MSU students examined the aging well and found that although water emerges at 106 degrees Fahrenheit, the well leaks. Pressure and temperature are significantly reduced.

The students used engineering concepts to evaluate whether a new well could pump hot water to the resort's pools and be used to heat the hotel.

Earlier this month, each of the students presented their findings at a community "Alternative Energy Opportunities for the Hi-Line" meeting.

"For the resort to utilize the geothermal energy, the owner will need to dig a new $200,000 well," Finlayson, who will graduate in industrial engineering in December, said. "Our recommendation is to install a direct heating system: piping water through the building for heat, either using a forced air radiator, convection or in-floor radiant heating. The latter would be feasible only on new construction at the resort."

Ricardi, a mechanical engineering 2005 graduate, looked at hydro and geothermal electricity generation, but found it would not be feasible to convert heat into electricity. The process needs water gushing at 250 degrees.

He did find that if old well logs were correct, there could be enough pressure from a new well to drive a turbine for hydropower.

Iames focused on solar and wind power, neither of which proved economically feasible-- much to the surprise of the local audience. The resort is too far north for solar power. Wind-generated power could work if combined with hydropower.

"I wanted all the answers, which I didn't get, yet it was rewarding to see the students handle tough questions professionally," said Anne Boothe, executive director of PhillCo, an economic development group in Phillips County.

"Most of what I wanted to know was not within the scope of their preliminary study. We hope for more research on the viability of wind energy, fish farming, greenhouses for flowers and vegetables and other uses for natural resources including natural gas in the region."

Next, says Finlayson, the resort owner could apply for federal grants or loans for a new well, in order to exploit geothermal energy resources and wake the sleeping buffalo.

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