Inside-the-fence cogeneration at Ford Motor Company
Electricity generation at For Motor Company started many years before the word cogeneration existed. Before the author left at age 40 to found Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford (the 1st) worked as an Stationary Engineer at Detroit Edison. His experience taught him the importance of electricity supply in the manufacturing process. To secure this supply, Henry Ford ordered the construction of over 400 MW of generation at Ford facilities in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and New York. Two of these installations, a 13 MW hydrostation at St. Paul, Minnesota, and the 345 MW (name plate) fossil fueled Rough Powerhouse in Dearborn, Michigan, are still in operation. Ford Motor Company, like all manufacturers, looks for ways to reduce costs and improve their efficiency while maintaining quality. Cogeneration gives another option to traditional electricity supplies. If a facility has a year-round steam load of (20 MMBtu/hr to 200 MMBtu/hr) and a matching electric load, a gas turbine can probably be installed to realize a total energy costs savings. Facilities with smaller heat and electric loads are usually better served by reciprocating engine-driven generator sets, particularly if the facility can utilize the recovered heat in the form of hot water. If it is designed and operated properly, a cogeneration system will meet or exceed the expectations and remains a very viable option to high cost electricity supplies.
- OSTI ID:
- 6827997
- Journal Information:
- Cogeneration and Competitive Power Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Cogeneration and Competitive Power Journal; (United States) Vol. 9:4; ISSN CCPJE8; ISSN 1066-8683
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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320304* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Waste Heat Recovery & Utilization
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
COGENERATION
DEUS
DUAL-PURPOSE POWER PLANTS
ENERGY RECOVERY
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
GAS TURBINES
HEAT RECOVERY
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
INDUSTRY
LOAD ANALYSIS
MACHINERY
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
STEAM GENERATION
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY