AIST Steel Intern Scholarship
Lydia N. Randolph
During the summer of 2023, I had the incredible opportunity to work at Steel Dynamics Inc. –LaFarga in New Haven, Ind., USA. This experience proved to be invaluable as I got to work at a copper plant and explore various aspects of the industry.
Coming from a smaller copper mill background, this stint at Copperworks allowed me to immerse myself in multiple projects and gain exposure to the entire mill. I was not confined to just chemical engineering roles but also had the chance to delve into mechanical, civil and quality engineering aspects. The department's flexibility enabled me to learn and gain hands-on experience in different areas.
Throughout my internship, my primary focus was on project work. Copperworks gave me the opportunity to lead projects and learn from both their successes and challenges. One of my projects involved developing a “Failure Mode Effects and Analysis” dashboard to standardize practices. In the process, I engaged with various teams, including crews, supervisors and engineers, to document the methods used to address failures and discrepancies. This project allowed me to explore the entire mill and its processes comprehensively. Additionally, I spent a significant portion of my summer working on charge mixes and analyzing chemistries using a spectrometer to create a cathode mine dashboard. This project aimed to monitor changes in the cathode mine over time and assess the purity of copper from different sources. When I wasn’t working on these projects, I worked on a copper material and energy balance to examine the energy of the system. This calculation would then be used to assist if hydrogen had enough energy to make H2 bonds to allow for entrapped gases.
Beyond my projects, I had the opportunity to explore activities during the mill’s outage, such as going inside the furnace to understand its operations. I participated in preparing, demolishing, and rebricking the furnace. Moreover, I assisted a fellow engineer in testing new shavers and took on the responsibility of preparing the bag house. These experiences provided me with a deeper understanding of specific parts of the plant and allowed me to interact with contractors, emphasizing the importance of safety for everyone involved.
Overall, this summer at Copperworks offered me a powerful insight into the significance of knowledge. I was able to get involved in multiple mill projects, immersing myself in various subjects. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone at the facility for welcoming me and enabling me to learn and grow throughout my time there.