January 31, 2008 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee (CPOC) met on Jan. 31 in Pittsburgh, Pa., immediately prior to the start of the 2008 Eastern States Cokemaking and Blast Furnace Conference. After member introductions, a review of the AIST Antitrust Guidelines and some brief AIST announcements, the committee began their winter business meeting. A review was given regarding the integration of the AIST and AISI technical committees and its impact on the CPOC. Everyone at the meeting noted the benefit of this integration to the cokemaking industry. The committee then reviewed the current status of the CPOC technical sessions for AISTech 2008. Members offered four additional papers for the conference to increase the coke-related sessions from two to three, plus a joint session with the AIST Iron Producing Operating Committee (IPOC). Members volunteered to fill the additional session chair positions. The Josef Becker Award chair requested volunteers to assist the committee in selecting the next Becker Award winner for cokemaking and coal carbonization. Four volunteers offered their services for this prestigous award. The committee then began discussions regarding co-locating their fall 2008 meeting with the ACCCI committee on Manufacturing, Environment, Safety and Health (MESH). The ACCCI MESH committee will conduct a meeting this fall in Washington, D.C., which will include presentations on environmental considerations and regulations as they relate to the cokemaking industry.

September 19-20 , 2007 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee (CPOC) held a meeting on Sept. 19–20 in Ashland, Ky. The meeting began with a tour of SunCoke Energy Inc.’s Haverhill North Plant. This facility currently operates a single nonrecovery coke battery consisting of 100 ovens and is in the process of constructing a second coke battery. During the meeting, Frank Jere was named chair and Brad Parker was named vice chair. Committee members reviewed abstracts in order to develop technical sessions for AISTech 2008. A joint meeting with ACCCI and/or AISI’s Coke Committee was discussed, and a Coke Oven Roundup for coke ovens in North America is planned for publication in a future issue of Iron & Steel Technology. The meeting concluded after an afternoon of interesting discussions on safety programs at various coke producing companies. The next CPOC meeting is planned for Feb. 1, 2008, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

May 8, 2007 - On May 8, 2007, the Coke Producing Operating Committee (CPOC) met in conjunction with AISTech 2007. The committee elected officers for the upcoming year. Mike Best, U. S. Steel Research, was elected chair; Frank Jere, DTE Energy, was elected vice chair; and Hardashan Valia, Coal Science Inc., was re-elected papers chair and will continue working to pull together quality cokemaking and coal carbonization sessions for AISTech. The CPOC mission statement was reviewed and approved. The members then discussed the awards that the committee oversees. A subcommittee within the committee will be organized to properly attend to the awards and their distribution. The committee then discussed its plans for a fall meeting in Ashland, Ky., which will include a plant tour of the SunCoke Haverhill facility and a technical discussion on safety programs within the cokemaking industry. The ACCCI Coal Mesh committee has been contacted so that this might be planned as a joint meeting between the organizations. The meeting concluded with an appreciation plaque being awarded to Bob Donaldson of Dofasco for his efforts in leading the committee in the past year.

February 1, 2007 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee (CPOC) met prior to the 2007 Eastern States Blast Furnace and Cokemaking Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Feb. 1, 2007. After introductions and a review of the AIST antitrust guidelines, the attendees welcomed five new members to the committee. The AIST staff announcements were read, highlighting the upcoming activities at AISTech 2007. The committee chair then reviewed the current status of the CPOC’s technical sessions for AISTech, which were consolidated from five sessions into four. The committee then reviewed and updated its topics for the AISTech 2008 Call for Papers, including a request for papers on coal sourcing and blending. A discussion was held on the current structure of the Joseph Becker Award Selection Committee. Members of the CPOC will be placed on this subcommittee to select and honor a dedicated individual to the coal carbonization industry on a biannual basis. The 2007 Joseph Becker Award winner and the 2007 Kapitan Coke Award winner were also announced to the committee, with formal presentation of the awards to be made at an Iron Producing Technology Division event at AISTech 2007. The last item of business was a discussion regarding future meetings being held with other organizations involved in the coke producing process, such as the ACCCI and the AISI. Because the ACCCI Coal Mesh Committee has already established meeting plans for 2007, the CPOC will contact the AISI Coke and By-Products Committee to discuss holding a joint meeting in September 2007 in Haverhill, Ohio. Included in the meeting would be a discussion on battery safety practices. In the meantime, a representative from the CPOC will contact the ACCCI Coal Mesh Committee to begin plans for a joint meeting in September 2008, and possibly involve the AISI Coke and By-Products Committee as well.

September 20 - 21, 2006 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee held their fall meeting on Sept. 20–21 in Detroit, Mich. The meeting began with a tour of the DTE Energy cokemaking facility in River Rouge, Mich. A business meeting was held the morning of Sept. 21. After a review of the AISTech 2006 conference, the committee selected members to review the Coke Producing Best of Session papers for the Kapitan Coke Award. The committee also heard a report on the Becker Award Selection Committee. Next on the agenda was a review of the abstracts for AISTech 2007 and the development of the coke producing technical sessions for this conference. The committee organized five technical sessions related to cokemaking, raw materials and coke quality for the blast furnace. The committee then formed their upcoming meeting schedule. The next meeting will be held prior to the 2007 Eastern States Blast Furnace and Cokemaking Conference in February 2007. They will also meet at AISTech 2007. Finally, a meeting and tour of the SunCoke HaverHill, Ohio, facility will be held in the fall of 2007 and will include a cokemaking safety round table discussion.

May 1, 2006 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee met on May 1 during AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio. The primary focus of the meeting was to elect officers for the following year and to begin planning for future meetings. The next meeting for the committee will be Sept. 20–21 in Detroit, Mich., and will include a tour of EES Coke Battery LLC.

February 2, 2006 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee held their winter meeting in conjunction with the Eastern States Coke Oven and Blast Furnace Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Feb. 2. After introductions, the cokemaking technical sessions scheduled for AISTech 2006 were reviewed. The committee selected additional papers to complete their sessions, and companies were identified to participate in the panel discussion on coke battery repair/rebuild. The committee then reviewed the Iron Producing Technology Division Award schedule, noting that the Joseph Becker Award for Contributions to the Cokemaking Industry was awarded in 2005 and that it would be awarded again in 2007. At the conclusion of the meeting, members held a round table discussion on quenching facilities and practices. The next meeting for the Coke Producing Operating Committee will be on May 1 during AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio.

September 13-14, 2005 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee held a meeting on Sept. 13–14 at Dofasco Inc., Hamilton, Ont., Canada, to wrap up AISTech 2005 and begin planning sessions for AISTech 2006. The committee plans to sponsor two sessions focused on coke producing. The committee also discussed potential plans to hold joint meetings with the AISI Coke Committee. Following lunch, the committee toured the No. 2 and No. 4 blast furnaces and the No. 2 and No. 3 coke batteries at Dofasco Inc., Hamilton. The following day, the Coke Producing Operating Committee held a round table discussion on coal selection. The next meeting for the committee will be Feb. 1–2, 2006, in Pittsburgh, Pa., preceding the Eastern States Coke and Blast Furnace Conference.

September 13, 2005 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee and Iron Producing Operating Committee met jointly for a dinner on Sept. 13 in Burlington, Ont., Canada. Representatives from the AISI Coke Committee also attended. The highlight of the dinner was the presentation of the Iron Producing Technology Division awards. The Joseph Becker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cokemaking was given to John Gransden of CANMET. The J.E. Johnson Award for Achievement in the Ironmaking Process by an individual under the age of 40 was given to Mark Dutler of Mittal Steel USA – Indiana Harbor. The Josef Kapitan — Coke Award for Best Cokemaking Paper at AISTech 2004 was given to James Fittipaldo of Mittal Steel USA – Warren. Pictured: (1) Bob Donaldson (left), chair of the Iron Producing Operating Committee, presents the Joseph Becker Award toJohn Gransden; (2) Joe Poveromo (right) presents the J.E. Johnson Award to Mark Dutler; and (3) Bob Donaldson (right) presents the Josef Kapitan — Coke Award to James Fittipaldo.

May 10, 2005 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee held an AISTech luncheon meeting on May 10 in Charlotte, N.C. Officer elections were held, and the positions of chair, vice chair and papers chair were filled. The next meeting was then scheduled to be held in conjunction with the Iron Producing Operating Committee meeting in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, in September, where the Iron Producing Division awards will be given out.

October 21-22, 2004 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee met in Merrillville, Ind., on Oct. 21–22. An overview and tour of the Indiana Harbor Coke Co. kicked off the meeting. Those who took part in the tour were shown the co-generation facilities as well as the heat recovery coke ovens at IHCC. On Oct. 22, the committee conducted their business meeting. A mission statement for the committee was finalized and approved. The committee then turned business toward AISTech 2004. They reviewed the papers noted as “Best of Session” by the session chairs and determined which paper was the best overall coke producing paper at AISTech 2004. The committee also began preliminary planning for AISTech 2005. The meeting concluded with a presentation by Sesa Kembla Coke Co. Ltd. regarding their energy recovery cokemaking technology. The next meeting of the Coke Producing Operating Committee will be held prior to the Eastern States Blast Furnace Conference on Feb. 3.

June 24, 2004 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee held their summer meeting at the AIST headquarters on June 24 to finalize their technical program for AISTech 2004. The committee then discussed the possibility of holding joint meetings with other technical organizations in the coal and coke industry. The meeting ended with a visioning session on fully developing the focus of this committee. From this session, the committee determined their mission statement. The meeting adjourned after a round table discussion on current events. The next meeting of the Coke Producing Operating Committee will be Thursday, Sept. 16 in conjunction with AISTech 2004 in Nashville, Tenn.

April 7-8, 2004 - The Coke Producing Operating Committee held its spring meeting April 7–8 in St. Louis, Mo. A tour of the cokemaking facilities at U. S. Steel–Granite City Works kicked off the meeting. The following day, a business meeting was held to finalize outstanding committee issues. The committee finalized its sessions for AISTech 2004 and selected chairs for those sessions. The committee also discussed the possibility of meeting jointly with other cokemaking technical organizations. The meeting wrapped up with a round table discussion on health and safety in the coke plant. The next meeting will take place at AISTech 2004.