PROGRAM TOPICS CUTTING-EDGE STEEL INDUSTRY EDUCATION AIST conference programs are developed by technology committee members representing iron and steel producers, their allied suppliers and related academia. Committees focus on ironmaking, steelmaking, finishing processes, and various engineering and equipment technologies.

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SESSIONS CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:

♦ SAFETY & HEALTH
Focused topics include but are not limited to mobile equipment; material handling; crane and railroad safety; contractor and project safety management; electrical safety — NFPA 70E; lockout/energy isolation; fall protection; confined spaces; hazard communication, including GHS; industrial hygiene; assessment of safety systems and reporting; technology/automation innovations with safety and health; and emergency planning.

♦ ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Relevant topics include but are not limited to innovative technologies, regulatory drivers and operational issues pertaining to: air quality, including greenhouse gases, energy optimization, particulate matter, mercury, gaseous emissions, NAAQS, Title V updates and MACT standards; water quality, including permitting, storm water pollution prevention, water treatment for makeup, process, water intake and industrial wastewater for reuse/discharge; solid waste management, including RCRA, CERCLA, life cycle assessment, waste minimization and recycling.

♦ COKEMAKING
Safety innovations; byproduct process improvements; coal supply sourcing and blending; control systems and automation; energy optimization; coke quality enhancements; operating cost reductions; new coke production facilities and the refurbishments of existing facilities; refractory materials and installation advancements; repair/maintenance techniques and technology for extending the life of coke oven batteries and ensuring their manufacturing reliability; coke plant equipment improvements; environmental process improvements; new sulfur removal facilities or reliability improvement projects; wastewater treatment projects; emissions reduction projects; and alternate cokemaking.

♦ IRONMAKING
Blast furnace operations including startup & shutdown; campaign extension; furnace relines/rebuilds; environmental programs in ironmaking; maintenance programs for ensuring reliability; hearth and taphole design; monitoring and maintenance; blast furnace stoves, stove refractory and safe stove operation; ironmaking raw materials; waste oxides recycling; hydrogen-based ironmaking; blast furnace refractory and cooling systems; ironmaking equipment design and improvement including injection; ironmaking control and modeling.

♦ DIRECT REDUCED IRON
The production of DR-grade pellets; lump ore (feedstock); different sources and treatment of reducing agents, including natural gas, hydrogen or other reductants; oxide coating; testing and analysis of raw materials; material handling; storage; shipping; process modeling, simulation and other digital aspects of direct reduction plants; catalytic, steam and self-reformers; gas distribution; refractory design and selection; solid flow issues; reduction and gas handling equipment; waste management; safety; environmental issues; CO2 recovery and use; value-in-use of DRI; product quality; plant operation and results; briquetting; DRI use in processes (blast furnace, EAF, BOF, foundries); and auxiliary systems, including water, gases and power.

♦ ELECTRIC STEELMAKING
 Implementation of innovative safety programs and procedures; advances in energy efficiency, materials recovery, and heat recovery and their associated impact on greenhouse gas generation; advancements in workplace environmental factors, including gas cleaning and mitigation of greenhouse gas generation; process analysis and optimization, including new EAF technologies and advances in auxiliary systems such as arc regulation, oxygen and solids injection, and water-cooled components; EAF revamping projects and start-up experience with new equipment; raw materials, including scrap optimization, selection of alternative iron feed materials and yield maximization; associate development and training; EAF mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical maintenance, including primary, secondary and tertiary electrical components; artificial intelligence & digitalization.

♦ OXYGEN STEELMAKING 
BOF environmental controls, vessel slopping, secondary emissions, tapping practices and yield improvement, endpoint predictions, charge management, blast furnace/BOF strategies and coordination, plant culture and safety innovations, maintenance practices, planning and energy conservation.

♦ SPECIALTY ALLOY & FOUNDRY
Alloy and superalloy grade production; stainless steel; remelt process and innovations; refining; casting processes; scrap segregation and residual controls; raw materials; refractories; foundry operations; safety improvements; environmental regulations; and energy efficiency.

♦ LADLE & SECONDARY REFINING
The processes of heating/cooling, chemistry control, slag treatment, desulfurization/decarburization, degassing, stirring, shape control and inclusion modification; utilizing the support systems of ladles; refractory interactions with steel and slag; ladle transport; flow control; stirring systems; utilities; fume control; additions; equipment; and environmental impact.

♦ CONTINUOUS CASTING
Thin and thick slab, bloom, beam blank, billet and near-net-shape casting machines; caster modeling; new and emerging innovations and technology in continuous casting including digitalization related to Industry 4.0; improvements and/or renovations in machine design to optimize operations relating to: safety, quality, productivity, reliability, energy, maintenance and the environment.

♦ HOT SHEET ROLLING
Process and Technology Development including Heating and Thermal Control Strategies, Advances in Mill Equipment and Design, and Innovations in Rolling Techniques. Process Modeling and Simulation including automation and control of rolling mills and predictive models for microstructure and mechanical properties. Strip Quality including scale formation and control, strip shape, coil package, and characterization and mitigation of defects. Applications and Performance of Hot Rolled Products including post-processing effects on properties (e.g., heat treatment, cold rolling) and applications in automotive, construction, and energy sectors. Industry Case Studies and Best Practices for Safety, Quality, Environmental, or Process improvement.

♦ COLD SHEET ROLLING
Sheet and tin cold rolling, temper/skinpass rolling, pickling, cleaning and annealing facilities: new, revamps or modernizations. Process modeling and equipment reliability studies. New or revised technologies for enhancing safety, energy efficiencies, cost, quality, productivity and yield. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: width, thickness, shape, flatness, edge drop, surface, temperatures, properties, steering, and processing of new and/or advanced high-strength steels.

♦ GALVANIZING
Hot-dip galvanize, galvanneal, aluminized, new zinc alloy coating and dual metallic/organic processes (new facilities and modernizations, productivity improvements, new equipment technologies), plus coated product substrate quality, defect prevention and detection, and new surface post-treatments.

♦ TINPLATE MILL PRODUCTS
Advancements applicable to tin mill processes. Topics of particular interest include but are not limited to: process improvements, process control, new or emerging technologies, procedures/practices, process reliability, quality control, water treatment, energy conservation, recycling, and other environmental opportunities.

♦ PLATE ROLLING
Operational practices of reheat furnaces; new plate rolling and finishing installations; discrete and Steckel processing; mill modernization, new equipment and technologies; automation upgrades to levels 1 and 2; product control through thickness, width, crown and flatness control; surface quality and inspection; yield improvement; scale removal; thermal mechanical rolling developments, including accelerated cooling; heat treatment processes; and leveling, dividing, slitting and marking.

♦ LONG PRODUCTS
Safety innovations with rolling mill operations; new equipment and technologies; new installations and revamp of existing facilities; process and auxiliary equipment, including gauging systems; shearing and handling equipment, guide systems, and control systems; process and product development; defect inspection and product quality; personnel development and training.

♦ PIPE & TUBE
Line pipe in-service requirements for green energy (hydrogen transport) and carbon sequestration and the related alloy and thermomechanical control process rolling design. Updates on pipe and tube mill energy conservation and environmental challenges. Advancements for increased demand for pipe and tube inspection, testing, and measurements. Safety advancement in the pipe and tubular products arena and any related industry requirements and specifications affecting the pipe and tube manufacturing process and applications.

♦ ROLLS
Roll manufacturing and roll shop safety; innovative roll manufacturing and roll testing; roll maintenance and inspection practices; roll use in the ferrous and non-ferrous industries, including pinch rolls; roll performance improvements; the relationship between rolls and product attributes (profile, flatness, surface, etc.); roll surface defects and their effect on sheet quality; roll surface analysis; chock repair and bearing maintenance; and opportunities to reduce environmental footprint including roll shop waste.

♦ METALLURGY — STEELMAKING & CASTING
Use of any system, approach, methodology, or equipment to improve steelmaking product quality, production and/or costs.

♦ METALLURGY — PROCESSING, PRODUCTS & APPLICATIONS
The interrelation of production processes and product properties (dimensional and metallurgical), including liquid and solid steel processing, and products ranging from sheet and plate to tubular and long products, as well as finished components. Papers are being sought for process metallurgy and product application of low- and high-strength steels and advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), with focus on the fundamental aspects from microstructure to mechanical properties. Additional topics of interest include: development of new process technologies and products, process/product quality problems and control.

♦ ENERGY & UTILITIES
Energy efficiency in the use of combustion and purchased utilities; practical application and innovative uses of byproduct gases, reducing carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, (low-carbon energy sources, renewable energy, carbon capture, carbon storage and decarbonization), water usage and reduction, steam, industrial gases, compressed air, electricity, lighting, heat recovery systems, boilers/furnaces, and power generation.

♦ ELECTRICAL APPLICATIONS
Design, application, and/or engineering of power quality and distribution; AC/DC motor/drive technology; HMI systems; open architectural systems and other networks; electrical maintenance and electrical safety applications; and electrical upgrades/retrofits. Application of sensors for process control; efficiency and cost-effective solutions; on-line and off-line shape and flatness measurement; mechanical properties testing; automated surface inspection; oil thickness measurement; surface cleanliness; soft sensors (i.e., modeling of a variable that cannot be measured directly); and other unique sensors that provide new and innovative uses to the primary and finishing sides of the steelmaking process.

♦ COMPUTER APPLICATIONS /DIGITALIZATION APPLICATIONS
Relevant topics include digitalization technologies in addition to traditional computer applications.  Digitalization technologies include applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics, the use of digital twins, big data, cloud computing, augmented or virtual reality, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and other applications of digitalization technologies that advance or transform iron and steel processes.  Traditional computer applications include existing, new, and emerging uses of computers to control, monitor and interface steel manufacturing and processing; evolution of industrial control systems — hierarchies and mobile interfaces; modern control system technologies driving a safer workplace; the application of advanced process modeling and control; the impact of human factors and safety in process control (such as users, engineers and support personnel); manufacturing execution systems and business systems; network/wireless communications; automation planning and software development methodologies; database, data warehousing, data mining systems and predictive analytics; remediation of legacy automation systems; and cybersecurity for industrial control systems.

♦ PROJECT & CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Innovative and successful approaches to project development and installation, including capital effectiveness; project safety performance; project planning and implementation approaches for new installations, retrofits, and maintenance projects; project team alignment/team building; new technologies to aid the project team; risk assessment, commissioning and project closeout.

♦ MAINTENANCE & RELIABILITY
Topics include planning, scheduling, preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, condition monitoring, reliability, resource development/talent acquisition, resource utilization/optimization, CMMS, problem solving and new technologies. Papers should focus on strategies, tactics, initiatives, and tools associated with reliability and maintenance activities that have resulted or will result in bottom-line improvements in plant operations.

♦ LUBRICATION & HYDRAULICS
Lubrication and hydraulics bearing technology; lubrication systems; lubricant technology (greases, oils, solid lubricants); hydraulic fluids and systems; fluid filtration and filter media; oil reclamation and refining; condition monitoring; plant lubrication programs; lubricant life and testing methods; sealing technology; gearing technology; electric motors lubrication; coupling lubrication; and auto lube technology.

♦ REFRACTORY SYSTEMS
Laboratory developments and evaluations of new refractory products and systems; field trials of new refractory products and systems in all areas of cokemaking, ironmaking, steelmaking, continuous casting, and finishing; effects of operational conditions or variables on the performances of refractory systems; recycling of used refractories into new refractory products.

♦ MATERIAL HANDLING
Safety policies, procedures, strategies and prevention with material handling; product tracking and identification; fleet management strategies; material handling equipment; equipment/vehicle maintenance strategies; scrap handling; government regulations impacting material handling; communication technologies; automation technologies; infrastructure maintenance of roads, tracks, bridges, etc.; or outsourcing of services.

♦ CRANES
Case studies of experiences concerning capacity upgrades; methods used to prevent structural damage; runway issues or modifications; lubrication systems; overcoming major mechanical component failures; digital DC drive conversions; new crane technologies, innovations or enhancement efforts through automation; new or improved safety methods, products or equipment applications; methods for reducing the costs of parts, maintenance and installations; and techniques used to capture, maintain, and analyze crane statistical data, or to make substantial productivity gains.

♦ TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS
Safety procedures and innovations in packaging, shipping and transportation methods in all modes of transportation, including but not limited to: infrastructure, ASTM standards, motor carriers, waterways, loading and packaging, open-top loading rules, transloading and governmental regulations.