Olivia Dmitrovich
Interpro Pipe and Steel: Regina
This summer I had the opportunity to work as a research and development (R&D) co-opnstudent at InterPro Pipe and Steel in Regina, Sask., Canada. InterPro operates EAF steelmaking and produces DSAW and ERW pipe, steel coil and plate products for both energy and industrial applications across North America.
Throughout my internship, I had the opportunity to contribute to various projects, with my focus on the slab casting process. For this, I was able to witness the individual steel making processes in action including the EAF, LMF, and slab caster. It was incredible to see the scale at which these processes occur, and it provided tangible evidence to what is taught in the classroom. At InterPro Pipe and Steel, safety is always considered the top priority. As such, all co-op students receive extensive safety training, both virtually andbphysically, and attend lab safety tours and regular staff safety meetings. This broadened my perspective on what it means to work safely, and the importance of proper training, documentation, and communication with appropriate staff.
My slab casting project at InterPro involved both laboratory analysis and mathematical process modeling. I was exposed to sample preparation for slab as-cast microstructural analysis, where I was trained on cutting, mounting, polishing, and optical microscopy. I correlated these results with the output of the casting model tuned with plant data. Throughout this project, I gained a deeper understanding of heat transfer in the primary cooling zone of the caster, and how desired steel solidification relies on casting parameters such as mould flux properties, pour temperature, casting speed, water temperature rise, and mould geometry. Ultimately, working with and calibrating this casting model developed my understanding of the potential for computational applications to the steel making process.
Overall, this internship involved collaboration with many different technicians, engineers and senior staff, all of whom provided me with mentorship, technical knowledge and experience. I am extremely grateful to InterPro Pipe and Steel for the work opportunity, and to the AIST Foundation for granting me both industry experience and financial support to continue my studies at McMaster through the AIST Foundation Steel Intern Scholarship.