ArcelorMittal’s global research and development center in East Chicago, Indiana received two High-Performance Computing for Manufacturing Program (HPC4Mfg) grants through a Department of Energy initiative, according to local news reports. The DOE grants are aimed at solving technical challenges in manufacturing and materials development in the US.
“These awards from the DOE engage national labs and industry to benefit industry and ultimately conserve energy,” said Mark Atkinson, ArcelorMittal’s senior director, global research and development. “High-performance computing (HPC) capitalizes on the computational horsepower that exists in the national labs that we do not have at ArcelorMittal. Together, we can solve complicated problems and accelerate product development to meet our stringent quality and sustainability goals.”
For the first grant, ArcelorMittal will partner with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to establish a method for rapid product development of next generation high-strength steels using HPC at the atomistic scale and artificial intelligence (AI).
Energy savings would be realized by eliminating portions of the plant’s trial phases; the company said testing coils is extremely energy and cost intensive if the trial coils do not meet the property requirements.
For the second grant, the company will partner with Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Purdue University Northwest to reduce the yield loss caused by impurities forming in the refining ladle process. The study will take place at the ladle at the company’s #3 steel producing operation at its Indiana Harbor works, examining techniques to produce cleaner steels.