Bridgestone Associates was initially engaged to prepare a detailed application to the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) for capital grant funding of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) waste heat recovery system to generate electricity from waste heat recovered from car bottom furnaces. Upon successful approval of the grant funding, Bridgestone Associates was then engaged to prepare the complete detailed design of the ORC waste heat recovery plant. During the design process, the ORC vendor determined that their equipment required additional development and design work and withdrew it from the market. Bridgestone Associates then continued with the design now based on a steam turbine as the prime mover. The final design incorporated a waste heat steam generator to recover heat from the 1,200 – 2,000 oF car bottom furnace and thermal oxidizer exhaust and a 2.3 MW steam turbine. Bridgestone Associates’ work included preparing the complete designs; equipment selection; detailed cost estimates; drawings including structural, general arrangement, electrical, instrumentation and control, and piping drawings; financial analysis of the project; discussions with the local utility and the grant provider; and development of permitting requirements.
