On September 22, CIVS staff and students were invited by Gerdau’s Kevin Kondrat to tour the reheating furnace at the Gerdau Special Steel facility in Monroe, Michigan. The group included Misbah Syed and Abhishek Kolakotla, graduate students from the simulation lab at CIVS who work directly on SMSVC projects related to reheat furnace operations, and staff members Armin Silaen and Nicholas Walla.

CIVS members were given an overview of Gerdau Special Steel operations by Mr. Kondrat, Nathan Hough (Rolling Mill Superintendent), and Eduardo Scheid (GSN Technical Consultant). This visit also offered a unique opportunity for staff and students to enter the reheat furnace while it was shut down for scheduled maintenance. Reheating furnaces are commonly used in the steel industry to bring steel products such as slabs and billets up to high temperatures before rolling and finishing to become products such as rods and coils.

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CIVS Senior Research Engineer Kyle Toth officially became the Vice Chair of the AIST Safety & Health Technology Committee on September 13th. He was elected in May at AISTech 2023.  The meeting was held in Memphis, TN, and was a joint meeting with the Galvanizing and Digitalization Applications Technology Committees to prepare for AISTech 2024 and discuss other topics.

Kyle Toth previously served as the AIST Health and Safety Technology Committee Papers Chair before being nominated and elected Vice Chair. This collaborative opportunity allows CIVS to form new connections with staff and their facilities that ordinarily are not exposed to consortium work. Participation by CIVS staff in various committee roles is vital in encouraging further collaboration within the industry.

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On September 19-21, 2023, Senior Research Scientist John “Jack” Moreland demonstrated the virtual die-casting simulator customized for NADCA by CIVS at The Die Casting Congress and Exhibition. NADCA members use the simulator to reduce the training time of new personnel and improve the capabilities of an organization’s workforce.

One of the project’s highlights is a new learning mode that lets operators see into transparent parts of the machine and view how liquid metal is injected and distributed inside the casting cavity. This feature has been combined with a quiz system that verifies the operator’s understanding of how machine parameters affect the castings produced.

The Die Casting Congress and Exhibition is the premier event for the die-casting industry. The one-of-a-kind congress attracts members of the global die-casting industry to gather insights and information to improve business performance. Exhibiting companies must be engaged in or be associated with the industry in equipment, consumable products, processes, instrumentation engineering, and other applicable services related to the manufacture and processing of the cast product. Only one company may exhibit in a single booth.

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On September 12th, Dr. Chenn Zhou, Director of CIVS, presented at SteelSim 2023 at The University of Warwick, UK. Her presentation entitled “CFD Modeling of Electric Arc Furnace for Process Optimization” highlights computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a valuable tool for research and development, providing fundamental process understanding and practical guidance for the design, troubleshooting, and optimization of electric arc furnaces (EAFs). Her presentation received excellent feedback.

Since 2016, the CIVS researchers have closely worked with the SMSVC members to develop and implement state-of-the-art, comprehensive EAF CFD models to simulate the complex phenomena in the multi-stages of the entire EAF steelmaking process using step-by-step and integrated methodologies. The models have already been used to resolve some EAF operation issues.

The EAF is becoming a critical steelmaking facility for reducing carbon footprint. In the U.S., the EAF’s share of steel production is currently more than 70%. The increasing use of EAF technology in the U.S. has reduced CO2 emissions. An EAF, which melts the scrap using heat from electric arcs and burners, is energy-intensive and involves complex chemical-physical processes. Multi-physics simulation and optimization of the EAF process are of great interest to the steel industry for improving efficiency, quality, and productivity.

SteelSIM 2023 is the 10th International Conference on Modelling and Simulation of Metallurgical Processes in Steelmaking for this series of conferences. The conference aims to offer an excellent opportunity for the experts in numerical modeling and simulation from academic research areas and the ironmaking/steelmaking industry to share their knowledge and new scientific/technical achievements and discuss the common challenges and potential pathways for future developments. Dr. Chenn Zhou is the conference Chair for the SteelSIM 2018 in Toronto, Canada.

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On September 6th, representatives from US Cold Storage visited CIVS during their campus tour of Purdue University Northwest. The visit included a CIVS overview in the Immersive Theater and a simulator demonstration in the Visualization Lab. The CIVS team was joined by General Manager Adam Ashley and Operations Manager Jacob McChristian from US Cold Storage- Lebanon. US Cold Storage’s ongoing initiatives allow for several potential areas of collaboration with the visualization and simulation teams at CIVS.

US Cold Storage recently broke ground on a 245,730-square-foot automated refrigerated warehouse facility on 27 acres at the northwest corner of Interstate 65 and Indiana 2 near Lowell, Indiana. The new facility is just one of 42 world-class facilities across 13 states: California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

The nearly 100-year-old company is dedicated to being the leader in providing highly reliable and cost-effective logistics solutions to the frozen and refrigerated food industry, giving their customers the competitive edge they need to succeed in the ever-changing business environment.

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Congratulations to CIVS Senior Research Scientist John “Jack” Moreland for receiving the AIST Digital Technologies for Steel Manufacturing Grant for the Hazard Recognition Scenario Builder for On-Site Customizable Virtual Training project. Thanks to Industry Mentor Mike Schwentor, Director of Operational Excellence at U.S. Steel Gary Works.

This project will address ever-present challenges the steel industry faces in ensuring its workforce keeps pace with the rapid advances in digital technologies and transforming the industry while ensuring the safety of its personnel, particularly within complex, hazardous environments. Traditional training methods may not fully prepare employees for the specific risks associated with their unique worksite.

The proposed solution to this challenge is the Hazard Recognition Scenario Builder for On-Site Customizable Virtual Training – a tool designed to bring safety training into the 21st century. The Hazard Recognition Scenario Builder represents an innovative fusion of safety and technology. It promises to elevate safety training standards, cultivate a digital-ready workforce, and contribute significantly to the ongoing digital transformation in the steel industry.

“This project serves a critical need to lower the barrier of entry for steel industry personnel to use cutting-edge technologies like 360-degree video and virtual reality. This will allow personnel to rapidly develop site-specific training scenarios with high impact, providing realistic virtual safety training before personnel enter hazardous areas in person.” – Jack Moreland, Senior Research Scientist.

This grant was established to challenge university teams from engineering, scientific, and mathematical departments at North American universities to submit proposals for grant funding in the theme area of digital technology within the steel industry, including machine learning, computational science, simulation, augmented reality, additive manufacturing, and autonomous robotics, among other related technologies.

The grant will provide funding based on the project’s success in these categories.:

Provide new or alternative solutions that deepen the understanding of the technical issues involved in digitizing the steel industry.
Increasing direct steel industry engagement with students interested in digital technology and tools.
Widespread applicability to the steel industry and probability of success.

CIVS’s project proposal was selected from multiple proposals based on evaluation criteria that include boosting student engagement in digital transformation technologies, the aim of the project proposal and its methodologies, probability of success, the fit of the proposed topic to the theme of digital transformation for the steel manufacturing industry, and the team’s expertise and capabilities to bring the project to a meaningful, on-time completion.

The AIST Foundation is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation organized for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes that seeks to attract technology-oriented professionals to the steel industry by educating the public about the high-tech, diverse, and rewarding nature of careers in modern steelmaking. The Foundation receives contributions from industry corporations and individual members of AIST.

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Congratulations to the CIVS graduate students who received research grants this semester:

Imran Syed:
“Optimization of Vane-Style Variable Area Flowmeter Calibration through CFD Analysis with STAR-CCM+”

Misbahuddin Husaini Syed:
“Simulating Induction Heating of Steel Products using a Harmonic Balance Model”

Pavan Kumar Vemula:
“A CFD study of the impact of slag on the refining stage of the EAF operation”

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New and returning CIVS students and staff participated in various campus and department events at the start of the Fall term. Events help to welcome new students and help them settle into their new home on campus. Returning students have the opportunity to reorient themselves as well as get acquainted with new students. These activities are vital to student success at CIVS.

On August 14th, new and returning students gathered in the Immersive Theater at CIVS for student orientation. This event fosters belonging between students as well as staff. Students were encouraged to introduce themselves and discuss the projects they are working on or plan to work on. Staff outlined expectations for CIVS students with the goal of setting them up for success.

On August 24th, CIVS students and staff joined many other departments during the PNW Welcome Rally. This was an opportunity to showcase projects and talk to students about programs within the School of Engineering. CIVS prides itself on creating opportunities for student growth and success.

On August 25th, CIVS students Misbahuddin Husaini Syed, Imran Syed, and Charlene Benoit attended Registered Student Organization Officer training as presidents and vice president of their respective clubs. Students at CIVS are encouraged to represent the center in student activities across campus. Being involved with a student organization at PNW gives students the opportunity to meet new people, enhance their academic experience, build critical skills that will help them launch into life after PNW, and contribute to the university community.

On August 26th, the CIVS student and staff retreat was held at Oak Ridge Prairie Park. This student-organized event has returned after being postponed for the past couple of years. CIVS overcame the challenges of pandemic protocols to reinstate a culture of community celebration. Students worked together to represent their diverse cultures through food and various activities. Many attendees brought their family members and friends to join the fun of high-spirited games and conversations.

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CBF Forensics, a northwest Indiana forensic and education startup, has launched two new products: virtual reality (VR) programming for forensic crime scene training and a system to quantify the amount of THC in manufactured CBD and hemp products. CBF Forensics is the first forensic and education company to sell products based on Purdue University Northwest innovations.

Read the Fully Story

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On April 28, ArcelorMittal’s Global Health and Safety Day events included a demonstration of a CIVS virtual reality (VR) simulator that lets users experience fire safety scenarios. This simulator includes accurate sites and scenarios in a virtual environment.  It implements the industry standard PASS method (Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the flame, Squeeze the lever, Sweep back and forth) to extinguish a virtual fire.

The simulator was developed together with the Deer Field Training Center, which was used to train over 4,000 employees at Burns Harbor Plant, Cleveland Cliffs.   It is now available to all consortium members as part of a suite of safety simulators developed through the SMSVC’s Safety and Training Committee.  The SMSVC is dedicated to the long-term goal of improving safety and reducing fatalities to zero. The Fire Safety Simulator is

During the demo, John “Jack” Moreland, CIVS Senior Research Scientist, guided participants through the different applications within the SMSVC Fire Safety Simulator. Excellent feedback was given by Bernard Chukwulebe, who is the Manager of Process Technologies and Digitalization at ArcelorMittal Global R&D – East Chicago and others. ArcelorMittal is a Charter member of SMSVC.  Their site-based health and safety committees run regular safety campaigns to achieve zero fatalities and severe lost time injuries (LTIs), which includes their Global Health and Safety Day.

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