AIST Steel Intern Scholarship
Ryan S. Kerbaugh
This summer, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work in the engineering department at Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works, Butler, Pa., USA. The Butler Works primarily produces grain-oriented electrical steel (G.O.E.S) and non-grain-oriented electrical steel (N.O.E.S) but has the capability to produce stainless and carbon steel as well. My projects were centered around increasing the productivity and quality of electrical steel products. This internship marked my first exposure to electrical steel, and I have truly come to appreciate the process for making electrical steel. Magnetic properties are extremely important given electrical steel applications in transformers and electric vehicles, and it was incredible to see the techniques used at the Butler Works to produce a quality product. For the basis of my work this summer, I reviewed the product flow and the justification behind proposed capital projects. I worked with Cleveland-Cliffs Research to discuss potential bottleneck unit capacities and evaluate the need to increase the G.O.E.S capacity at the Butler Works.
My main project involved the proposed expansion of hydrogen box annealing furnaces. Using AutoCAD, I extensively researched different coil arrangements that were feasible in the existing box anneals, and my research proved coil weights and outer diameters significantly impacted the scope of the proposed expansion project. I performed calculations based on the different weights and outer diameters using data gathered about current box anneal cycle times, loading and unloading times, and maintenance requirements. As time progressed, constricting parameters became evident regarding this project; even though coils could be packed to a greater extent in the box anneals, their quality would most likely suffer.
Further analysis of coil arrangements was performed to engineer possible solutions that could guarantee good quality. I prepared two presentations to give at important project development meetings; the first presentation updated potential furnace builders and operations personnel about my research and ideas for the project, and the second presentation served as a project update with significant focus on quality and future coil sizing plans. I also composed the preliminary engineering documents necessary for the proposed project, including the engineering report, scope of work and requests for quotations and approvals. I cannot emphasize enough how thankful I am to have been afforded the opportunity to work on this proposed project. I worked with incredibly talented engineers and gained a true appreciation for project engineering and electrical steel quality.
Along with my main project, I assisted with various other projects as well, such as the proposed acquisition of a coil preheating furnace and the purchase of an air compressor. I learned that time management and effective communication are extremely important skills as a Project Engineer; multiple projects must be considered simultaneously. The proposed coil preheating furnace is a fascinating project, and I attended meetings with potential furnace builders to offer design ideas and review design possibilities. I was amazed at the level of thought and detail that went into these discussions, even in the preliminary stages. For the air compressor purchase, I played a major role in organizing meetings with potential suppliers and offering recommendations for the best choices based on the intended application.
I would like to sincerely thank everyone in the Engineering Department at Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works for an incredible internship experience. It truly felt as though I was a part of a family. Along with the engineering department, I would like to thank all others who spent time educating and supporting me with this internship, along with Cleveland-Cliffs for a great experience. Lastly, thanks to AIST and the AIST Foundation for the generous contributions to all Steel Intern Scholars and other scholarship recipients.