Technical Support Document for the Registry of Recoverable Waste Energy
Sources, Section 372 of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act
(EISA) 

Prepared by ICF International for the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency

FebruaryMay 7, 2009

CONTENTS

Waste Energy Survey Tool (WEST) – Survey Questions

1. Waste Energy Survey Tool (WEST) - Survey Questions

Introduction

Section 372 of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA)
calls for EPA to publish a rule to establish a Registry of Recoverable
Waste Energy Sources (Registry).  EPA intends to populate the Registry
through responses to an ongoing waste energy recovery survey (Survey),
also required under EISA.  The Survey is designed to estimate the
potential for waste energy recovery projects at major industrial and
large commercial sources and the sites at which the sources are located
based on readily available information on the site and each potential
waste energy source at the site. 

The Survey EPA is proposing is an internet-based Survey, the Waste
Energy Survey Tool (WEST), which is downloaded by owners or operators of
the sites or sources (the respondents).  The respondents will enter data
into WEST to be used to determine the potential waste energy recovery
opportunity of the source.  For each waste energy source entered, WEST
will screen and calculate a quantitative estimate of potential power
generation in MWs and potential CO2 and criteria pollutant (NOx and SOx)
emissions reduction in tons/yr, and determine if the potential project
meets the five year payback, primary purpose and minimum efficiency
criteria.

Survey Questions

Site Information – Information on the site name, address, primary
contact, and NAICS/application; site-wide information on electricity and
thermal use, and electricity and fuel prices.

Site Name #:	

Site Address #:

Site Contact #:	

Name #:

Title #:

Address (street address, city, state, zip code) #:

Phone Number #:

E-mail #:

Primary NAICS code (6 digit) #:

Site Description (Brief sentence description of primary function of site
- e.g., hospital, petroleum refinery, etc) *:  

Annual operating hours:

Annual electricity purchases (kWh):

     

                      and/or

Average electricity demand during operating hours (kW):

Average purchased electricity price for 2007 (cents/kWh or specify
units) – include total costs – commodity and delivery, and all costs
– demand and energy:

Annual fuel consumption (Specify units – MMBtu, therms, etc)

Average purchased fuel price for 2007 ($/MMBtu or specify units):

Electric distribution utility serving site:

Is there an existing on-site generation system (do not include back-up
or emergency generators)?

If so, what is the capacity (kW) and annual operating hours, or annual
electricity generation (kWh/yr)

# Site information that will be submitted to EPA and published in the
public waste energy registry

* Site information that will be submitted to EPA and will be defined as
Detailed Quantitative Information (DQI) 

If initial minimum thresholds are not met (i.e., 1 MW average electric
demand or 5 MMBtu/hr fuel for commercial, and 100 MMBtu/hr fuel use for
industrial), the user would be given the option to end the survey at
this point, or to move on to the individual waste energy categories. 

WEST Implementation option - Section A could end with a series of
questions that would direct the user to the applicable follow-on
sections:

Does your site have individual furnace/process and/or flare stacks that
have an exit temperature of greater than 500º F?  (If yes, the survey
would jump to Section B, if no, the survey would go to the next
question)

Does your site have process off streams with combustible energy content?
 (If yes, the survey would jump to Section C, if no, the survey would go
to the next question)

Does your site have a steam boiler or boilers?  (If yes, the survey
would jump to Section D, if no, the survey would jump to Section E (it
is assumed all respondents that pass site thresholds will be asked to
complete Section E – CHP)



“Exhaust heat or flared gas” - Information on heat recovery
opportunities from high temperature stacks.  Examples of such sources
would include high temperature exhaust streams from glass melters,
cement kilns, or pipeline compressor turbine drives.

How many individual furnace/process/equipment stack or flare stacks at
your site are greater than 500 º F:

How many of these have an average gas flow greater than 7,000 scf/min
(or 500,000 scf/hr):

How many of these operate at least 4,500 hours per year:

If 1, 2  and 3 not met, user will be sent to Section C

Complete the following for each exhaust furnace/process/equipment stack
or flare stack with an exhaust temperature greater than 500 º F,
average stack flow of 7,000 scf/min or above, and minimum operating
hours of 4,500 hrs/yr.

Temperature (F):

Average stack gas flow (specify units:  scf/min, scf/hr, cf/min, cf/hr,
lbs/hr):

Temperature will determine specific minimum flow requirements; if not
met, user will be sent to next stack or Section C.

If exhaust temperature is known, but stack flow is not, available heat
could be estimated based on the following (replaces question 2 above):

Source fuel input (MMBtu/hr or MMBtu/yr):

Is source furnace/process/combustion equipment step or flare:

If furnace/process/combustion equipment, what is the thermal efficiency
(%):

Annual operating hours for source:

Source description (e.g., glass furnace, process flare) *:

Is source a continuous or batch process:

Is there emissions control equipment in the stack:

 

If so, what type:

Is stack temperature specified before or after control equipment?:

Was the source in operation or commence construction prior to December
19, 2007?

For each waste heat source, WEST will screen and calculate a
quantitative estimate of:

Waste heat to power recovery potential (MW) *

CO2 emissions reduction potential (tons/year) *

Criteria pollutant reduction potential (NOx and SOx tons/yr) *

Does the potential project have a five year payback or less (yes/no) *

Does the potential project meet the primary purpose criteria (yes/no) *

If a new source, does the potential project meet the 60% efficiency test
(yes/no) *

For the site, WEST will indicate:

Does the site have a waste heat recovery opportunity that passes all
screening criteria (yes/no)*

# Waste heat recovery information that will be submitted to EPA and
published in the public waste energy registry

* Waste heat recovery information that will be submitted to EPA and will
be defined as Detailed Quantitative Information (DQI) 

“Waste gas or industrial tail gas that would otherwise be flared,
incinerated or vented” - Information on energy recovery opportunities
from process off streams with significant combustible energy content. 
Examples of such sources would include chemical and/or refinery
off-gases, anaerobic decomposition gases from food processing wastes, or
combustible off-gases from coke ovens.

Are there any process off streams with combustible energy content at the
site:

If 1 not met, user will be sent to Section D

Average gas flow (specify units:  scf/min, scf/hr, cf/min, cf/hr, lbs/hr
or other):

Minimum and maximum stack gas flow (optional):

Gas stream combustible energy content (specify units: Btu/scf, or
other):

Flow and Btu content will determine minimum threshold, if not met, user
will be sent to Section D. 

Annual operating hours for source:

If below 4,500 hours, user will be sent to next stack or section C 

Source description (e.g., coke oven, digester) *:

Is source a continuous or batch process:

Is there existing pollution control equipment in place:

 

If so, what type:

Is flow and Btu content specified before or after control equipment?:

Was the source in operation or under construction prior to December 19,
2007?

For each combustible source, WEST will screen and calculate a
quantitative estimate of:

Waste gas to power recovery potential (MW) *

CO2 emissions reduction potential (tons/year) *

Criteria pollutant reduction potential (NOx and SOx tons/yr) *

Does the potential project have a five year payback or less (yes/no) *

Does the potential project meet the primary purpose criteria (yes/no) *

If a new source, does the potential project meet the 60% efficiency test
(yes/no) *

For the site, WEST will indicate:

Does the site have a waste gas or industrial tail gas recovery
opportunity that passes all screening criteria (yes/no) *

# Waste gas recovery information that will be submitted to EPA and
published in the public waste energy registry

* Waste gas recovery information that will be submitted to EPA and will
be defined as Detailed Quantitative Information (DQI) 

 



“Recoverable pressure drop” - Information on energy recovery
opportunities from high pressure process streams that are reduced to
lower pressure without any existing recovery.  A primary example of such
sources would include high pressure steam from a boiler that is reduced
in pressure reduction valves to a lower pressure for process and/or
heating use.

Are there steam boilers at the site:

If 1 not met, user will be sent to Section E

What are the average outlet steam conditions of the boiler(s) (psig and
temperature):

What are the average steam conditions required at the process or for
heating (psig and temperature):

Is there an existing backpressure or extraction steam turbine generator
in place:

Average steam flow (specify units:  lbs/hr, lbs/yr, Btu/hr, Btu/yr):

Annual operating hours for steam system:

Was the unit in operation or under construction prior to December 19,
2007?

For each pressure drop source, WEST will screen and calculate a
quantitative estimate of:

Pressure drop to power recovery potential (MW) *

CO2 emissions reduction potential (tons/year) *

Criteria pollutant reduction potential (tons/yr) *

Does the potential project have a five year payback or less (yes/no) *

Does the potential project meet the primary purpose criteria (yes/no) *

If a new source, does the potential project meet the 60% efficiency test
(yes/no) *

For the site, WEST will indicate:

Does the site have a pressure drop recovery opportunity that passes all
screening criteria (yes/no) *

# Pressure drop recovery information that will be submitted to EPA and
published in the public waste energy registry

* Pressure drop recovery information that will be submitted to EPA and
will be defined as Detailed Quantitative Information (DQI) 



“Combined Heat and Power” - Information on opportunities for on-site
generation with heat recovery for site/process heating and/or cooling.  

Average process or heating steam demand at site (specify units such as
lb/hr, lbs/yr):

Average process or heating steam conditions (psig, temperature):

Annual hours of steam demand

Commercial applications may not know actual steam or hot water demand. 
In those cases, the survey will ask:

3-a.	What is annual space heating load (Btu/yr, or Btu/month), or 

what is annual space heating fuel use (MMBtu/yr, therms/yr)

3-b.	What is annual hot water load (Btu/yr, or Btu/month), or 

what is annual hot water fuel use (MMBtu/yr, therms/yr)

Average process or heating hot water demand at site (specify unit such
as lbs/hr, gallons/hr, Btu/hr, Btu/yr):

Average process hot water temperature (F):

Annual hours of hot water demand:

Is there a central cooling/refrigeration supply:

Average cooling/refrigeration demand (specify units such as tons/hr):

Annual hours of cooling/refrigeration:

WEST will screen and calculate a quantitative estimate of:

CHP potential based on thermal (heating and/or cooling) load (MW) *

CO2 emissions reduction potential (tons/year) *

Criteria pollutant reduction potential (NOx and SOx tons/yr) *

Does the potential project have a five year payback or less (yes/no) *

Does the potential project meet the primary purpose criteria (yes/no) *

If a new source, does the potential project meet the 60% efficiency test
(yes/no) *

For the site, WEST will indicate:

Does the site have a Combined Heat and Power opportunity that passes all
screening criteria (yes/no) *

# CHP potential information that will be submitted to EPA and published
in the public waste energy registry

* CHP potential information that will be submitted to EPA and will be
defined as Detailed Quantitative Information (DQI) 

 Emissions savings of waste energy recovery projects will be estimated
by comparing the emissions from the waste energy recovery system to the
emissions that would normally occur without the system in place,
including the displaced power plant emissions from grid electricity
avoided by the output of the waste energy recovery system.  Avoided grid
emissions will be calculated based on EPA’s EPA’s Emission &
Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID). eGRID, developed by
EPA’s Climate Protection Partnership Division’s State and Local
Branch, is considered the preeminent source of contains data on the
environmental attributes of virtually all of the electric power
generated in the United States, linking air emissions to electricity
generated. The most recent version, the sixth edition of eGRID,
eGRID2007, includes operational data from 2005. 

		

	

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