Energy programs. Quarterly report, January-March 1978 Page: 31 of 48
41 pagesView a full description of this report.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT PLANNING §20
Regional Operational Research, DOE/DGE Region 5
ZJ70CAS
Support: DOE/DGE
R. F. Meier and R. A. Freeman
January-March 1978
A SCENARIO FOR GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY USE IN SOUTH DAKOTA
There is evidence of a significant geother-
mal resource in South Dakota. Reference 1 notes
that most of the western half of the state is
underlain by a limestone geological formation
called the Madison, an aquifer containing con-
siderable quantities of water at temperatures
up to 180°F. At present, the aquifer is tapped
primarily for municipal or agricultural water
supplies by at least 30 wells distributed over
the region. The temperature range and wide
availability of the water make it a significant
potential source of energy for commercial and
residential space heating and other low-tempera-
ture energy uses.
Reference 2 summarizes the documentation
for the initial scenario. The documentation was
compiled into booklet form and forwarded to DOE/
DGE (Ref. 3). By means of interaction with the
local communities, state legislatures, and local
planning agencies, the initial scenario will be
updated and revised to provide an iterative re-
alistic model for future geothermal energy de-
velopment in South Dakota.
SUMMARY
L. Mink of DOE/DGE has authorized APL to
develop a plan to collect data for reservoir en-
gineering in South Dakota. At the suggestion of
Duncan McGregor of the South Dakota Survey, John
P. Gries of the South Dakota School of Mines and
Technology has been contacted. Dr. Gries indi-
cated that he would be interested in assisting
with the project. A letter was sent (Ref. 4)
outlining the plan for collecting the data.
The letter requests that Dr. Gries provide com-
ments, suggestions, and cost estimates for ser-
vices that could be provided by the South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology.
A narrative report is being prepared on the
development of geothermal energy in western South
Dakota. It will be distributed to local munici-
palities in western South Dakota that are poten-
tial locations for developing geothermal energy.
Four geothermal project proposals from South
Dakota were recently selected by DOE's San Fran-
cisco Operations Office in response to a Septem-
ber 1977 program opportunity notice (PON) on
direct heat utilization (Ref. 5).
DISCUSSION
The Madison Study. The Central Regional
Office of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in
Denver is studying the effects of withdrawing
large quantities of water from the Madison aqui-
fer in southeastern Wyoming. The study was ne-
cessitated after a coal slurry pipeline was pro-
posed in 1975 to withdraw an average of about 20
ft^/s (15 000 acre-ft/yr) from the Madison in
Niobrara County, WY (Ref. 6). This removal rate
would be equal to approximately one-tenth of the
recharge rate of the Madison. Because insuffi-
cient data exist on the Madison aquifer for pre-
dicting accurately the long-term effects of the
proposed project, the USGS began in 1975 to study
the hydrogeology of the Madison aquifer. The
study is intended to aid understanding of the
local and regional groundwater flow through the
aquifer, to help make preliminary estimates of
the effects of large groundwater withdrawals on
the potentiometric levels, to validate data, and
to identify the areas where additional data are
needed.
Preparation of Plans for Reservoir Engi-
neering. In response to a proposed letter of
agreement (Ref. 7), the USGS has agreed to ex-
tend the Madison study to include a larger area
of the Madison aquifer, provided it is supplied
sufficient data for the South Dakota area of
interest (Ref. 8). Dr. Mink has authorized APL
to develop a plan to provide these data for his
consideration. Data on aquifer permeability,
thickness, temperature, water chemistry, poros-
ity, and potentiometric head are required for
the area in South Dakota covered by the Madison.
Some of the necessary data have been or are
being collected as part of the DOE contract to
the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
and the geochemistry program of the USGS Madison
Limestone Study. Accordingly, the emphasis of
this reservoir engineering program will be to
collect the data and review them with the State
Geological Survey to ensure their self-consis-
tency. It will be necessary to obtain further
measures of permeability, formation thickness,
local porosity, and well-head pressure as a func-
tion of flow for existing wells, for planned
wells (i.e., the town of Box Elder), and for se-
lected areas where new wells will be proposed
both for this purpose and for subsequent poten-
tial geothermal community heating.
A letter recently sent to Dr. Gries contain-
ed an outline for collecting the data (Ref. 4).
It proposes to identify and determine the status
of wells into the Madison, test existing wells
into the Madison, add a supplemental data-gather-
ing extension to the drilling program of future
wells, select areas for drilling new test wells
that could be used for geothermal space heating,
and arrange with DOE/DGE for compensation to well
owners if damages occur during well tests. The
letter requests that Dr. Gries provide comments,
suggestions, and cost estimates for services that
could be provided by the South Dakota School of
Mines and Technology.
Scenario — Narrative Report. A report is
being prepared on the development of geothermal
energy in western South Dakota. It will be dis-
tributed to all local municipalities in western
South Dakota that are potential developers and
users of the Madison geothermal resources. The
Fifth and Sixth District Planning Organizations
(Refs. 9 through 12) have indicated that they
would be willing to assist APL in distributing
the report and to arrange meetings between APL
and the local municipalities.
The report will demonstrate the technical
and economic feasibility of the broad use of nat-
urally occurring, underground hot waters in the
state of South Dakota for community space heating.
The information will assist citizens, governing
bodies, and advisory groups in considering geo-
thermal energy as an alternative to other forms
of energy, mainly fuel oil and propane gas, which
are widely used for space heating.
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY • APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
-31-
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Energy programs. Quarterly report, January-March 1978, report, 1978-04~; Laurel, Maryland. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1087770/m1/31/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.