The design of a new, €130 million waste-to-energy plant by MWH in Meath, Ireland, was selected as the winner of the 'special recognition award' in the 'sustaining our environment' category at the annual 'Be Inspired Thought Leadership Infrastructure' event, which took place in Amsterdam last week.
According to the panel of independent judges, global environmental engineering consultancy, MWH, received the award because of the way it integrated the designs of several suppliers into its own plant design for the Belgian-Dutch waste treatment company, Indaver, and for its innovative use of Bentley Design Software.
Explaining how the company had successfully created one overall 3D design for the waste-to-energy plant using Bentley specialist 3D CAD (computer aided design) software, MWH 3D Designer, Andrew Hawkett said: "The key was the integration of all the different designs from third party suppliers for the different parts of the plant and processes into our design. This included the 3D model integration for all process parts and the detailed design of the steam condensate cycle, including the turbine. By using the software in an inventive way and adapting it, we were able to seamlessly connect all the separate designs and undertake 'clash detection', which meant any conflicts could be solved efficiently."
This highly technological installation is the first of its kind in Ireland. When fully operational in 2011, the facility in Meath will recover enough energy to supply 20,000 families. It is the largest ever single investment in solid waste management infrastructure in Ireland and an important milestone for the country in the development of integrated waste treatment. The installation will comply with the most stringent EU emission regulations and will be built using the best available techniques. It will contribute significantly to Ireland's renewable energy goals and help it meet its targets under the Kyoto protocol.