February 11, 2008 -The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee (EEOC) met for a brief business meeting on Feb. 11 in Media, Pa. After introductions, a review of the AIST Antitrust Guidelines and some brief organization announcements, the members reviewed their two sessions for AISTech 2008. A total of 10 papers are scheduled for their two Tuesday sessions. After some modifications to the paper lineup and the addition of a paper due to a cancellation, the members felt the sessions were complete. It was reported that a recipient was chosen for the 2008 AIST Farrington Award for best electrical engineering paper in 2007, which will be given to the winner at the EEOC meeting at AISTech 2008. The members then discussed the electrical engineering topics for the AISTech 2009 Call for Papers. With the planning of a 2009 Process Controls conference jointly with the Computer Applications Operating Committee (CAOC), the 2009 Call for Papers topics for EEOC will reflect the joint conference as a trial for presentations. The joint conference will be scheduled for the second half of 2009. Potential locations are Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Birmingham, Ala. The group determined that the tour for the conference should be in either an automotive or a paper manufacturing plant, as both industries rely heavily on automation and process control technologies. The EEOC organizers for the Process Controls conference will contact their counterparts in the CAOC to develop the program. An AIST staff representative  gave an overview on the AISI and AIST committee integration. The change that will affect the EEOC will be the inclusion of the current AIST Sensors and Instrumentation Operating Committee into the EEOC as a subcommittee. The committee then solicited members to be nominated for the leadership of the EEOC. Officer elections will take place at the EEOC lunch meeting on May 6 at AISTech 2008. Producer members of the EEOC who were absent from this meeting will be contacted by the current chair, Elizabeth Shaw, to gauge their interest in leading the EEOC in 2008–2009. The meeting concluded with a round table discussion on safety incidents in the steel industry and the steps taken to avoid such incidents in the future. After the meeting, the members attended the AIST Philadelphia Member Chapter winter meeting. The guest speaker at the meeting was Joseph Polidoro, senior vice president of North America Power Partners, who presented, “Giving Electric Reliability a Boost.”

November 1, 2007 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee (EEOC) met in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 1, 2007. Elizabeth Shaw of ArcelorMittal Dofasco welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for participating. Lou York of Flanders Electric volunteered to take the meeting minutes. The committee selected the best paper presented at AISTech 2007 for the 2007 Farrington Award. The winning authors are Dharam Sharam of Nucor-Yamato Steel Co., Ljubomir Kojovic of Cooper Power Systems and Martin T. Bishop of Cooper Power Systems for their paper entitled, “Innovation Solutions for Differential Protection of Electric Arc Furnace Transformers.” The award will be presented during the EEOC meeting at AISTech 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The committee finalized their selection of papers for AISTech 2008 and chose the session chairs. The committee then discussed plans to develop a joint Specialty Conference with Computer Applications Operating Committee for 2009. Three presentations were given; Jean Courteau from Alcan spoke about aluminum cables, John John of Virginia Transformer Corp. spoke about transformers, and Dave Magee of Alcoa spoke about the aluminum industry’s processes and systems (similarities to and differences from steel). The committee also took a tour of Alcoa’s facility. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the winter of 2008.

November 1-2, 2007 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee (EEOC) held a meeting on Nov. 1–2, 2007, in Knoxville, Tenn. Led by chair Elizabeth Shaw and vice chair Ronald Tessendorf, committee members reviewed abstracts in order to develop technical sessions for AISTech 2008. The EEOC plans to hold a four-paper session on Tuesday morning and a six-paper session on Tuesday afternoon at AISTech. Chairs were selected for each session, and the EEOC plans to meet on Wednesday, May 7 from noon until 2 p.m. Technical presentations were made by Alcan on aluminum cabling, Virginia Transformer Co. on aluminum transformers, and ALCOA on aluminum industry processes and systems. The meeting concluded with a plant tour of ALCOA’s Knoxville facility. The next EEOC meeting is tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2008 and will be held in conjunction with AIST’s Midwest Member Chapter meeting.

May 9, 2007 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee (EEOC) met at the AISTech 2007 Conference in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 9, 2007. Elizabeth Shaw of Dofasco Inc. welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for participating. The committee reviewed and approved their mission statement without modification: “The mission of the Electrical Engineering Operating Committee is to advance the design, application, maintenance, and safety of electrical systems, by providing opportunities for publication, training, technology exchange, and networking.” The new officers for 2007–2008 were elected: Ms. Shaw will continue as chair, Ron Tessendorf of TMEIC GE will continue as vice chair, and Brian Crumpler of Converteam will continue as papers chair. The committee discussed plans to develop an AC Drive Technology and Equipment Specialty Conference for 2009. The committee presented Elizabeth Shaw with a plaque showing their appreciation of her leadership and service to the committee as chair this past year. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2007 in Knoxville, Tenn., and will include a tour of Alcoa’s facility.

February 22, 2007 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee (EEOC) and Computer Applications Operating Committee (CAOC) met on Feb. 22, 2007, for a tour of Purdue University Calumet, hosted by Professor Chenn Zhou and Professor Harvey Abramowitz, as well as Mittal Steel’s East Chicago Research Lab, hosted by Hal Long. Dr. Zhou began the presentations at Purdue with, “Overview of Steel Research Activities at PUC,” followed by five other more specific presentations by other professors and students of research being carried out on campus. A tour of the campus facilities followed. Professor Zhou and all the participants were thanked for their time and efforts, not only for the presentations and interesting tour, but also for their work for the industry as a whole. The committee then traveled to Mittal East Chicago Reasearch Lab. Hal Long offered an enlightening overview of the company and the research lab itself. The group was then split into two and toured specific areas within the facility, such as the electron microscope, welding lab, customer interface and the dent lab. The committee thanked Hal Long for hosting a very interesting tour.

February 21, 2007 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee met in Hammond, Ind., on Feb. 21, 2007. Elizabeth Shaw of Dofasco Inc. is the chair for this committee. She thanked everyone for attending. The committee currently stands at 57 members, with seven in attendance for this meeting. The EEOC sessions for AISTech 2007 were reviewed. It was agreed to change the Monday morning session of five papers to Wednesday afternoon and add an additional paper. The joint session with the Electric Steelmaking Operating Committee would remain on Wednesday morning. The committee expressed its appreciation to Brian Crumpler for organizing the sessions as the papers chair. The EEOC’s topics for the AISTech 2008 Call for Papers were finalized as follows: “AC drive technology and equipment, including active front ends, AC motors, and effects on power quality, system grounding and isolation issues.” This will lead into the 2009 EEOC Specialty Conference on AC Drive Technology and Advancements. It was decided that the Farrington Award will be given to David Woodward of Avtron and John Ankney of Mittal for their paper entitled, “Zero-downtime, Phased Drive Upgrade of Mittal Steel USA – Coatsville’s 140-inch Plate Mill.” This award will be presented to both authors during the next committee meeting, which will be held May 9 during AISTech 2007 in Indianapolis, Ind.

November 9, 2006 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee (EEOC) met Nov. 9, 2006, in Birmingham, Ala., in conjunction with the Power Systems — Engineering and Maintenance Issues Specialty Conference. The EEOC was actively involved in initiating, planning and executing the Specialty Conference. Discussion at the meeting focused on AISTech 2007 paper selection and session layout. The committee agreed to run a joint session with the Electric Steelmaking Operating Committee on Wednesday, May 8. The EEOC agreed to pursue an invitation to have a joint Specialty Conference with the Computer Applications Operating Committee (CAOC) in 2008. The EEOC chair and papers chair will coordinate the EEOC contribution to this conference. The next committee meeting will take place Feb. 21–22 in conjunction with the CAOC meeting in Hammond, Ind.

May 2, 2006 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee met May 2 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio, during AISTech 2006. The winner of the 2005 AIST Farrington Award for the best electrical engineering paper was awarded to Harold Joyce, PdMA Corp., for his paper, “Fault Zone Analysis: Identifying Motor Defects Using the Installation Fault Zone.” The committee nominated new officers for 2006–2007. It was also decided that the Power Systems Specialty Conference will be held in Charleston, S.C., in November 2006.

January 26, 2006 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee held their winter meeting on Jan. 26, 2006, in Decatur, Ala. Members reviewed the technical sessions and finalized the panel discussion on arc flash for Wednesday, May 3, at AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio. The proposal for the AIST Farrington Award was finalized and sent out for Technology Division approval. The committee selected the first recipient of this award. Topics and speakers for a fall Specialty Conference on power systems were outlined. The power systems conference will be held in November and will focus on engineering and maintenance issues. Matt Smith provided a tour of Nucor Steel–Decatur for the members in attendance. The next committee meeting will be held May 2 at AISTech.

September 20, 2005 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee met in conjunction with the DC Machines and Drives Technology Seminar on Sept. 20 in Baltimore, Md. The committee discussed the final proposal for the Farrington Paper Award, which will be considered for one of the Technology Division awards. Members also discussed the AISTech 2006 technical session format, which will include selected abstracts and a round table discussion on arc flash. The committee also began planning the next specialty conference for 2006, which will focus on power quality. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the last week in January 2006.

May 9, 2005 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee convened at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., on May 9. The committee finalized the criteria for an Electrical Engineering Best Paper Award. Nominees will be taken from the AISTech technical sessions as well as the EEOC-sponsored Specialty Conferences, and all members of the committee will be eligible to vote on the winner. The DC Machines and Drives Technology Seminar will begin Monday, Sept. 19 in Baltimore, Md., and the seminar will include a tour of Mittal Steel USA – Sparrows Point. Members discussed possible topics for next year’s conference and upcoming Specialty Conferences. The next meeting will be held Sept. 20 in Baltimore.

February 3, 2005 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee convened in Canton, OH on February 3, 2005. The 2005-2006 operating committee officer elections were held with Kevin Bort being nominated for Chair and Elizabeth Shaw being nominated for Vice Chair. The members in attendance unanimously approved the nominations. The committee established an Awards committee and agreed to formalize award criteria and present a “Best Paper” award. The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee will be sponsoring the Specialty Conference “A DC Machines and Drives Technology Seminar” in Baltimore, MD on September 19-21, 2005 and the final details were completed. The committee discussed possible topics for a 2006 specialty conference and the details will be discussed at the next committee meeting. There will be an Electrical Engineering Technical Session at AISTech 2005 on Thursday, May 12, 2005. The next EEOC meeting will be held on May 11, 2005 at AISTech and a fall meeting is planned for September 20, 2005 at the DC Technology Seminar.

September 16, 2004 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee conducted a meeting on Sept. 16 at AISTech 2004. The main focus of the meeting was to finalize the location and date for the DC Machines and Drives Technology Seminar. The seminar was originally scheduled for the spring of 2005, but it was moved due to scheduling conflicts. The committee members agreed that the DC Machines and Drives Technology Seminar would be held Sept. 19–21, 2005, in Baltimore, Md., with a tour of ISG Sparrows Point. The content of the seminar was also reviewed and finalized. The next meeting will be held in Canton, Ohio, during the second or third week in January with a tour of the Timken Co.

July 19, 2004 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee gathered at Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) in Columbia City, Ind., on July 19. The main focus of the meeting was to discuss the DC Machine Seminar, which will be held in April 2005. Committee members finalized the topics for the conference and volunteered to support the various presentations. On July 20, the members concluded the meeting and toured the SDI facility. The committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, Sept. 16 at AISTech 2004 in Nashville, Tenn.

February 16-18, 2004 - The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee sponsored the AC Drives Technology conference at the Embassy Suites in Charleston, S.C., on Feb. 16–18. The conference began with an introduction to AC drives and various drive technology. The group toured Nucor Steel–Berkeley, where individuals were able to visit areas that involved their primary interests. The second day of the conference included discussions on regulation and control of AC drives, motors, case studies, round table discussions on maintenance and engineering applications, and tips for making a project successful. The conference concluded with another case study and presentations on purchasing considerations, safety and future trends. Although the conference focused primarily on AC drives, interest was also expressed for a similar conference on DC drives, and the Operating Committee is considering this topic for a 2005 Specialty Conference.

The Electrical Engineering Operating Committee meeting was held in conjunction with the conference on Feb. 17. Nominations were held to elect officers for Chair and Chair-Elect. The committee made their paper selections for the technical sessions for AISTech 2004, to be held Sept. 15–17 in Nashville, Tenn.