The AIST Oxygen Steelmaking Technology Committee (OSTC) held their fall meeting on Sept. 17–18 in Baltimore, Md. The technical focus of the meeting was secondary emissions control and MACT standards for BOFs. The members gathered on Sept. 17 for a tour of the BOF steelmaking facility and the continuous caster at Severstal Sparrows Point. A significant portion of the tour was reserved to view the recently installed secondary offgas system at the BOF. Following the tour, the committee gathered for a group reception, dinner and networking event. Many ideas, issues, opportunities and stories were exchanged. On Sept. 18, the committee gathered for a technical discussion and business meeting. As they do at each meeting, the OSTC members exchanged safety incidents of which they were aware, whether at their facility or another facility. The open safety discussion provides immediate benefit to each member, as it gives everyone something to take back to their facility to prevent future injuries or incidents. The committee also discussed the integration of the AIST and AISI oxygen steelmaking committees earlier this year. A subcommittee of producers was formed to evaluate the current BOF benchmarking criteria of the Benchmarking Database. The goal of the subcommittee will be to develop 20–25 specific BOF criteria that will be used to compare BOF facilities across North America and Europe. The committee then began their technical presentations on BOF secondary emissions control. Stu Herman of Severstal Sparrows Point discussed BOF scrubber enhancement and secondary emissions capture. Sam Matson and Eduardo Cordova of Worely-Parsons presented a supplier’s perspective on BOF secondary emissions systems. Mark Presley of Severstal Warren spoke about the 2003 EPA MACT baghouse at the Warren, Ohio, plant.  Michael Dauterman of U. S. Steel Gary Works gave a presentation on the steel cycle emissions control at Gary Works. Ron Bannister of ArcelorMittal Dofasco also provided a few notes on the secondary emissions systems at their facility in Hamilton, Ont., Canada. Following the presentations, the OSTC began their business meeting. Mike Strelbisky provided an update on the European Oxygen Steelmaking Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, to be held May 31–June 5, 2009. Out of the 84 papers being presented, the OSTC submitted 10% of them. On May 31, the producers will have a round table discussion between the OSTC and the VDEh Oxygen Steelmaking Committee. There will be paper presentations Monday through Wednesday, and a tour of the SSAB Oxelünd steelmaking facility. On Friday, the committee will travel to the voestalpine GmbH Linz BOF facility for a tour. The location of the next meeting has yet to be determined. The technical subject for the meeting will be variation in hot metal chemistry. In September 2009, AK Steel–Middletown and Air Liquide will host a tour of both the BOF facility and the oxygen generation facility in Middletown, Ohio. The technical discussion for the meeting will be scrap practices and the control of residual elements. Following the discussion of these upcoming meetings, an update was given on the status of the oxygen steelmaking sessions for AISTech 2009. Five sessions are being organized: Environmental and Emissions, Maintenance and Equipment, BOF Productivity, Modeling and Logistics, and Residual Control. Session organizers selected additional papers to complete their sessions. Randy Stone, Mike Dunn, Greg Meszaros and Marshall Smith will evaluate the AISTech 2008 Oxygen Steelmaking Best of Session papers for the 2009 Herty Award. Their nominations will be sent to Greg Meszaros prior to the January 2009 meeting. The BOF Roundup was also updated and included in the November 2008 issue of Iron & Steel Technology. Prior to the meeting’s conclusion, Juergen Cappel of RHI AG presented, “The Results of Bottom Stirring in No. 60 Furnace of ArcelorMittal Steel Indiana Harbor No. 4 Steel Shop.”

On May 6, 2008, the Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee (OSOC) held a lunch meeting during AISTech in Pittsburgh, Pa. The chair welcomed everyone in attendance and noted the attendance of steelmakers from Brazil, Austria and Germany. The meeting began with a review of safety incidents of note in the steel industry, followed by a review of the integration of the AISI Manufacturing Committees and the AIST Operating Committees. The new structure of the AIST Technology Committees created an AIST Oxygen Steelmaking Technology Committee (OSTC), whose membership is comprised of the former OSOC and the AISI Manufacturing Committee on Primary and Secondary Oxygen Steelmaking. Dr. Ralf Bruckhaus and Dr. Helmut Lachmund were then presented with the 2008 Charles Herty Award for their paper entitled, “Stirring Strategies to Meet Highest Metallurgical Requirements in the BOF Process.” An election of officers was conducted, and the committee looked to revise their mission statement to showcase its interaction with the global oxgyen steelmaking industry. Members then volunteered to participate in the organization of the technical sessions for AISTech 2009, to be held in St. Louis, Mo., on May 4–7, 2009. The Papers Subcommittee of the OSOC met again on Wednesday, May 7, to determine session topics and organizers for AISTech 2009 sessions. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 16–17, 2008, in Baltimore, Md., with a tour of SeverStal Sparrows Point.  The meeting concluded with an appreciation plaque given to Mike Strelbisky as the outgoing chair of the OSOC.

January 23-24 , 2008 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee (OSOC) met in Westlake, Ohio, on Jan. 23–24 in conjunction with the Energy Industries of Ohio’s Advanced Materials for the 21st Century Steelmaking Technology kickoff event. The entire agenda for Jan. 23 was provided by Energy Industries of Ohio (EIO) regarding a showcase event for their aluminum-bronze research results. Through funding by the Ohio Department of Energy, an innovative material was developed by EIO, Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) and AmeriFab for the lower hood structure of a BOF vessel. Since the lower hood sees excessive wear from corrosion and erosion during the BOF process, lengthy and untimely outages occur as repairs are made to the typical plain-carbon steel structure (or an inconel-coated equivalant). By developing a new material that reduces repairs to that area, outages are less frequent and energy is conserved as the operation runs more efficiently. Republic Engineered Products (REP) of Lorain, Ohio, trialed the new material, and it has surpassed their expectations in performance. The event began with introductions by Nathan Goebel, division manager of steelmaking at REP, and Robert Purgert, president of EIO, who recognized the dignitaries in attendance. Representation at the event included The U.S. Department of Energy, Ohio State Congresswoman Betty Sutton’s Office, U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan’s Office, as well as suppliers of steel mill–related equipment and technology and individuals involved in the operation of BOF vessels from the United States, Canada, Austria and Germany.

November 4-10 , 2007 - On Nov. 4–10, 2007, the AIST Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee (AOSOC), in collaboration with the VDEh Stahlinstitute Oxygen Steelmaking Committee (VSOSC), participated in a study tour of BOF steelmaking in Germany. Thirty members of the AOSOC attended the week-long event, which included plant tours of five steelmaking facilities, a joint meeting and technical discussion with the VSOSC, the Stahl 2007 Day of Steel Conference, a tour of a heavy equipment manufacturer, and visits to a full-line supplier of metallurgical facilities and engineering services.

October 3-4 , 2007 - The Oxygen Steelmaking (OSOC) and Ladle and Secondary Refining (LSROC) operating committees held a joint meeting on Oct. 3–4 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Canada. The meeting began with a tour of the Algoma Steel No. 2 BOSP facility. Of particular interest to the groups were Algoma Steel’s BOF hood system, slag control devices, slag splashing practices and their ladle metallurgy station. Following the tour, the committees held a group dinner as an additional opportunity to meet old and new friends and to share ideas. The technical presentations kicked off the meeting on Oct. 4. Algoma Steel and ArcelorMittal – Inland No. 4 Steel Production both presented their BOF slag splashing practices. ArcelorMittal – Sparrows Point presented their ladle lining practices, which have helped them achieve 400 heats per ladle lining. GSB Group presented their technology on stirring lances, while RHI AG presented a European perspective on ladle lining and purging practices. The Ladle and Secondary Refining Operating Committee also presented information on the proper selection of refractories for steel ladles. Following the technical presentations, the two committees conducted separate business meetings.

During the ensuing business meeting, the OSOC reviewed the progress made on their technical sessions for AISTech 2008. Currently, six sessions are planned on such topics as environmental programs, maintenance and equipment, productivity, slag carryover and a panel discussion on scrap processing. The members then discussed the current status of the BOF Roundup, which was printed in the November 2007 issue of Iron & Steel Technology magazine. The meeting wrapped up with a review of the OSOC’s study tour of Germany and joint meeting with VDEh Stahlinstitut in November. Thirty members planned to attend the week-long event, which includes five steel mill tours, technical presentations by both North American and German steel producers, visits to three steel mill equipment suppliers, as well as Stahl 2007 — Day of Steel in Düsseldorf on Nov. 8. The next OSOC meeting will be Jan. 23–24, 2008, in Westlake, Ohio. This meeting will be held in conjunction with a technology kickoff event by Energy Industries of Ohio and Oak Ridge National Laboratory on their latest advancement in BOF hood material. Also included in the meeting will be a tour of Republic Engineered Products – Lorain Works and additional technical discussions on lance systems, lance practices and maintenance.

The LSROC finalized their paper selections for AISTech 2008 and organized volunteers for chairing the technical sessions. Currently, the LSROC plans to have sessions on ladle refractories, ladle metallurgy and inclusion control. They also continued discussion on developing a ladle refractory training program for the steel industry, to be held sometime in 2008. The next meeting was planned for February 2008, with the location to be determined.

May 7, 2007 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee (OSOC) met on May 7 at AISTech 2007 in Indianapolis, Ind., for a brief lunch meeting. After introductions by members and guests and some general AIST announcements, the committee presented Stanley Sun and Neal Pyke, of Dofasco Inc., with the 2007 Charles Herty Award for their paper entitled, “Mn Control in KOBM Steelmaking,” which was presented at AISTech 2006. The committee then discussed how they might increase membership by pursuing a member from each BOF facility in North Americ, and also by reaching out to international companies in Brazil, Mexico, Germany and China for additional participation. The committee also held a discussion on safety incidents around North American BOF facilities and proceeded to elect officers for 2008. Mike Strelbisky, Tallman Bronze, will be chair; Ron Bannister, Dofasco Inc., will remain vice chair and organize technical discussions for the committee meetings. Champion Chigwedu, ArcelorMittal, will be papers chair and lead the Papers Subcommittee in organizing technical sessions for AISTech 2008. Pat Philbin, WCI Steel, was re-elected as membership chair, being assisted by Nick Rymarchyk, Berry Metal Co., and Kamal Ughadpaga, Algoma Steel. The committee also discussed the progress of a BOF Roundup, which would be published in the October 2007 issue of the Iron & Steel Technology. The committee recognized Nick Rymarchyk for being named an AIST Distinguished Member for his service and dedication to AIST and his efforts to increase both organization and Operating Committee membership. The committee then confirmed its fall 2007 meeting, to be held at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Canada, on Oct. 3–5, 2007. The AIST Ladle and Secondary Refining Operating Committee will be joining them in Sault Ste. Marie for a joint meeting between the committees. The technical discussion for the meeting will include long-term BOF vessel practices and ladle treatment practices. The meeting concluded with a presentation of a service plaque to Bill Howanski, ArcelorMittal, as the outgoing chair of the Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee.

February 15-16, 2007 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee (OSOC) met on Feb. 15–16, 2007, in Granite City, Ill. After a thorough and technically in-depth tour of the BOF steelmaking facilities at U. S. Steel – Granite City, the attending members met for an evening social and informal dinner function to continue the opportunities for networking and comraderie. On Feb. 16, the day began with a round table discussion on safety incidents in the industry, followed by technical presentations focused on BOF hood technology and maintenance practices. Five presentations were given on this subject: “BOF Hood Life Cycle Cost Improvement Program” by Welding Services Inc.; “BOF Hood Systems Operations and Maintenance Considerations” by Middough Associates; “Hood Maintenance at Severstal NA” by Severstal NA; “Description of BOF Gas Cleaning/Fume Collection System” by Mittal Steel USA – Sparrows Point; and “Improving the System Life of Basic Oxygen and Electric Arc Furnace Hoods, Roofs and Side Vents” by a representative from the Energy Industries of Ohio. After lunch, the OSOC papers chair began the business portion of the meeting with a review of the status of the Oxygen Steelmaking technical sessions for AISTech 2007. The OSOC Papers Subcommittee has held monthly conference calls to ensure papers were properly identified for the sessions, and that organizers/session chairs were in early and constant contact with the authors. The overview was brief, as no major issues were apparent because of the subcommittee’s diligence and efforts. The members then heard a request from the AIST Awards and Recognitions Committee that the AIST Operating Committees can and should make nominations for the relevant AIST Association Awards. Such awards included the AIST Distinguished Member and Fellow Award, the Tadeusz Sendzimir Award, the Benjamin Fairless Award and the Steelmaker of the Year Award. The committee also evaluated nominations for the Charles Herty Award for best Oxygen Steelmaking Paper from AISTech 2006. The OSOC reviewed the Oxygen Steelmaking topics for the AISTech 2008 Call for Papers, as well as the status of the Oxygen Steelmaking Short Course. It was determined that the committee would table the planning of such a course until industry support required the program. The meeting concluded with a discussion of future Operating Committee meeting locations and technical topics. Topics being considered are BOF automation systems, blowing practices, BOF lance designs and endpoint determination. Locations for future meetings being considered are Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.; Cleveland, Ohio; Hamilton, Ont.; and Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. Plant tours were considered, as well as inviting other organizations and other AIST Operating Committees and Member Chapters to participate in future meetings.

September 13, 2006 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee held their fall meeting in northwest Indiana on Sept. 13–14. The meeting began on Sept. 13 with a tour of the U. S. Steel Gary Works QBOP shop in Gary, Ind. The tour included the hot metal area, the QBOP vessels, vacuum degassing and ladle metallurgy facilities. On Sept. 14, the members held a brief business meeting followed by technical presentations. The papers chair summarized the committee’s plans to have five sessions during AISTech 2007. The committee then discussed sponsoring a BOF steelmaking short course. A subcommittee was formed to create an outline for the short course. The outline will be submitted to the entire Operating Committee for review and comment. The committee then accepted volunteers to review the AISTech 2006 Oxygen Steelmaking Best of Session papers for the 2007 Herty Award. The business meeting concluded with a discussion on the next steps for the BOF Roundup and future meeting plans. Following the business meeting, individuals from Severstal NA, Mittal Steel and Heraeus Electro-Nite gave presentations on hot metal desulfurization. The next meeting is scheduled for February 2007 and will include a tour of U. S. Steel’s Granite City Works and a technical discussion on BOF environmental systems.

May 3, 2006 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee met on May 3 during AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio. The committee held an election of officers, reviewed their technical sessions for AISTech 2006, formed a subcommittee that met separately to begin development of AISTech 2007 oxygen steelmaking sessions, and presented the 2006 Charles Herty Award to Champion Chigwedu for the best oxygen steelmaking paper given at AISTech 2005. The committee also held a discussion on the proper criteria to be solicited for the Iron & Steel Technology BOF Roundup. An update was then provided on the progress of the BOF Training Seminar scheduled for March 2007 in Merrillville, Ind. The committee’s next meeting will be held in Merrillville, Ind., in September and will include presentations on hot metal desulfurization.

February 22-23, 2006 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee had their winter meeting in Ashland, Ky., on Feb. 22–23, 2006. The meeting began Feb. 22 with a tour of the BOF, RH degassing and continuous casting facilities at AK Steel Ashland Works, as well as a tour of the National Recovery Systems waste oxide briquetting facility located on the AK Steel site. A group dinner was held that evening. On Feb. 23, the meeting began with technical presentations on stretching hot metal at a BOF facility. Mittal Steel USA presented their efforts to stretch hot metal at their North American facilities, while Zaptech presented their technology of utilizing a higher scrap charge to reduce the amount of hot metal required. Great Lakes Recovery presented their waste oxide briquetting process as a follow-up to the tour from the previous day, and Korus Consulting presented information as to the methods utilized by LTV Steel to improve hot metal efficiency. The business portion of the meeting began with a report from the membership chair. There was some discussion as to exactly what the role of “membership chair” entails, and it was determined that a list would be created of potential producer members, whom the membership chair would contact to personally invite to upcoming meetings and technical discussions. The papers chair then gave an update on the status of the oxygen steelmaking sessions for AISTech 2006. They are planning five sessions, including a panel discussion on BOF environmental and maintenance topics. A discussion followed regarding potentially sponsoring a training seminar focused on BOF charge materials. A list of topics has been organized for the seminar, and presenters will be identified so that the seminar can be held in the fall of 2006. Next, the Herty Award Subcommittee provided their recommendation for the Charles Herty Award for the best oxygen steelmaking paper from AISTech 2005. The meeting wrapped up with a discussion on potential technical subjects for upcoming Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee meetings. The next meeting will be held May 3 at AISTech 2006. The committee plans to hold a fall meeting at U. S. Steel Gary Works with a focus on hot metal treatment and desulfurization practices, and a winter meeting in St. Louis, Mo., with a focus on environmental and energy systems.

September 7-8, 2005 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee held their fall meeting in Burlington, Ont., Canada, on Sept. 7–8. A tour of the KOBM stream at Dofasco Inc. kicked off the meeting on Sept. 7, followed by a group dinner that night. The technical portion of the meeting began on the morning of Sept. 8. The first item for the day was the presentation of the Charles Herty Award for Best Oxygen Steelmaking Paper at AISTech 2004 to Stelco Inc. Hamilton Works for their paper entitled, “Productivity Improvements at Stelco Hamilton With Limited Hot Metal.” A committee was then organized to begin evaluating the papers from AISTech 2005 for the next Charles Herty Award. After the award presentation, presentations were given on scrap optimization programs by Tube City LLC, Algoma Steel, Mittal Steel USA – Indiana Harbor and Mittal Steel USA – Sparrows Point. This was followed by the business meeting that included a discussion on membership and the organization of abstracts into five sessions for the AISTech 2006 oxygen steelmaking program. The committee also discussed the feasibility of creating a basic training program focused on BOF charge materials. A subcommittee was formed to organize potential subject matter for such a training course. The next meeting for the Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee will be in late January or early February 2006.

May 9, 2005 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee met during AISTech 2005 for a luncheon meeting on May 9. After introductions, the Membership Subcommittee reported on its efforts to attract a maintenance and operations individual from each North American integrated steel facility. The committee also recommended expanding their meetings to 1 1/2 days to provide time for a fully developed technical discussion as well as a plant tour. The members in attendance then elected new officers for 2005–2006 and developed a succession order for future officers. Following elections, the current Papers Chair gave a report on the AISTech 2005 sessions and information regarding AISTech 2006 paper deadlines. After the meeting, the Papers Subcommittee held a brief meeting to begin planning for AISTech 2006. The next meeting for the Operating Committee will be Sept. 7–8 in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, and will include a tour of the KOBM Facility at Dofasco Inc. and a technical discussion on charge optimization.

October 14, 1004 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee met at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich., on Oct. 14. The meeting began with an introduction of attendees and a discussion on the Oxygen Steelmaking Division nominee for the AIST board of directors. The committee’s discussion then focused on the organization of Oxygen Steelmaking technical sessions for AISTech 2005. The committee formed a subcommittee to focus on four topics that would be developed into sessions for this event. The meeting concluded with presentations by Algoma Steel and Ispat Inland Steel on their procedures and equipment to control vessel slopping. A tour of Severstal NA’s BOF facility followed the meeting. The next meeting will be Jan. 27 in Fairfield, Ala.

2004 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee met for a brief lunch meeting in Nashville, Tenn., during AISTech 2004. The committee modified and approved their mission statement and reviewed their four sessions for AISTech 2004. The committee then began planning for AISTech 2005 in Charlotte, N.C. They organized five topics of focus for the conference: maintenance practices (including BOF refractories), blast furnace/BOF coordination, charge management and end-point predictions, environmental control and slopping, and tapping practices.

June 10, 2004 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee met at ISG Sparrows Point Inc. in Baltimore, Md., on June 10. The meeting began with an introduction of all attendees. Officer elections for Chair, Vice Chair and 2005 Conference Program Chair were held. The Membership Subcommittee then reviewed their efforts to increase producer participation and the requirements to be a member of an AIST Operating Committee. The AISTech 2004 Conference Program Chair provided an overview of the status of the Oxygen Steelmaking technical sessions for AISTech 2004. The entire committee then developed a list of topics for their sessions at AISTech 2005. A round table discussion on operations and maintenance staffing for BOF facilities, followed by a tour of the steelmaking facilities at ISG Sparrows Point, concluded the meeting. The next meeting will be at AISTech 2004.

March 25, 2004 - The Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee held their first meeting on March 25 at ISG Burns Harbor in Chesterton, Ind. The committee members introduced themselves, received an overview of AIST, its purpose and the activities of the AIST Operating Committees, and began discussion of business items for the committee. The primary focus of the meeting was the development of technical sessions for the Oxygen Steelmaking Operating Committee’s AISTech 2004 program. The committee organized four sessions for the conference. The meeting concluded with a tour of the BOF steelmaking facility of ISG Burns Harbor. The next meeting is scheduled for June 10 in Baltimore, Md., and will include a tour of ISG Sparrows Point Inc.