Renewables
MSU's renewable energy research primarily focuses on three areas: wind, marine hydrokinetic, and geothermal. MSU engineers are studying the strength and durability of wind turbine blades, which can account for up to 30 percent of a wind system's initial cost. Other work focuses on turbine generators and power control systems. We are also researching composite materials for marine hydrokinetic systems.
Our Fluids & Computations Lab focuses on utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and numerical methods to investigate the design of energy systems and to understand the environmental changes to sediment transport, sound propagation, and fish navigation caused by water energy systems, as well as wind and water turbine design.
Geothermal research focuses on identifying geologic conditions that may result in favorable geothermal sites and developing a mineralization process to reduce undesirable fast-flow channels, thereby generating better sweep efficiencies in enhanced geothermal systems.
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Researchers
Doug Cairns is a professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department and studies composite materials used in primary structures. This research includes developing materials and manufacturing processes, as well as design, analysis and testing. He is currently working on manufacturing and testing new materials for wind turbine blade structures.
Dr. Cairns can be reached at 406-994-6050 or dcairns@montana.edu.
Erick Johnson is an assistant professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department and co-directs the Fluids & Computations Lab with Dr. Mark Owkes. His research focuses on using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and numerical methods to investigate the design of energy systems and to understand the environmental changes to sediment transport, sound propagation, and fish navigation that are caused by water energy systems. This work spans projects in efficiency gains for building energy systems, heat storage in packed beds, analysis of fish passageways, and wind and water turbine design.
Dr. Johnson can be reached at 406-994-6163 or erick.johnson@me.montana.edu.
Robb Larson is an associate professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. He is the director of the Wind Applications Center.
Prof. Larson can be reached at 406-994-6420 or robb.larson@montana.edu.
Website: http://www.montana.edu/rlarson/
Andrew Laskowski is an assistant professor in the Earth Sciences Department and is a structural geologist with expertise in continental tectonics, deformation of the Earth’s crust, and relationships between geologic structure and economic resources. Dr. Laskowski is interested in the tectonic processes that create and destroy mountain belts. His research integrates geologic mapping and structural analysis with detrital and igneous U-Pb geochronology, (U-Th)/He thermochronology, and metamorphic petrology to test and/or create tectonic models. He is involved in field-based research focused on extension dynamics, continental subduction, and the suturing process in the western United States and southern Tibet (Xizang), China. Dr. Laskwoski is also involved in research that applies detrital zircon geochronology to test provenance, determine maximum depositional ages, and track changes in the geochemistry of magmatism throughout the orogenic cycle.
David Miller is a professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. Dr. Miller’s energy research focus is on researching composite materials for the wind and marine hydrokinetic industries. His teaching emphasis is on solid mechanics and the senior Capstone course. Before joining MSU, Dr. Miller was a Team Leader and Technical Staff Member at Los Alamos National Laboratory where he performed mechanical testing of special nuclear materials in support of multiple programs.
Prof. Miller can be reached at 406-994-6285 or dmiller@me.montana.edu.
Website: http://www.montana.edu/dmiller/