Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium celebrates 10 years of cutting-edge innovation

HAMMOND, Ind. — The Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC), an initiative spearheaded by Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS), is celebrating a decade of transformational innovation that advances efficiencies for partnering steel manufacturing and energy production companies.

This industrial application-driven consortium’s mission centers on using state-of-the-art simulation, visualization, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to address challenges and growth for advanced manufacturing and ensure competitive advantages for the steel industry.

The consortium currently includes 16 member companies from across the nation representing steel producers and suppliers.

“Over the past decade, CIVS and SMSVC together have built a powerful model for collaboration between academia and industry. This milestone reflects the dedication of our member companies, faculty, staff and students in developing and implementing cutting-edge technologies,” said Chenn Zhou, NIPSCO Distinguished Professor of Engineering Simulation and director of CIVS. “SMSVC’s first decade demonstrates what is possible when industry and academia work side by side to deliver impactful, real-world solutions. We are proud of the impact we have made and even more excited about what lies ahead. Our collaborative model will continue to drive innovation and workforce development that transforms our industry and region for future economic needs and outcomes.”

PNW CIVS researchers together with SMSVC member companies have also developed and applied cutting-edge computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to simulate various iron and steelmaking processes. These include blast furnace, direct-reduced iron, electric arc furnace, ladle, continuous casting, reheating furnace and more.

CIVS and the consortium have also developed a well-recognized application-driven approach to integrate CFD, augmented reality/virtual reality visualization and AI for the development of physics-based and data-driven 3-D digital twins and interactive virtual training tools for operational guidance, workforce development, operator training and more.

The developed technologies provide interactive virtual industrial processes that enable insightful predictions and improve understanding of complex phenomena that are typically difficult to access without interrupting ongoing manufacturing. These applications have improved process and energy efficiency, productivity, quality, reduce environmental impacts, and enhance workplace safety.

CIVS’ partnerships with SMSVC member companies showcase the intersection of innovative academic research and real-world challenges, where researchers’ ingenuity helps manufacturers stay at the forefront of industry trends in smart manufacturing, workforce development, process optimization and maintenance.

Since 2016, CIVS, together with more than 300 industrial professionals, has conducted nearly 200 SMSVC research projects that have delivered innovative solutions. These projects have provided more than 400 research positions for PNW students to gain hands-on experiential learning to solve real-world challenges. Over 180 student awards and grants were received by PNW from the Association of Iron and Steel Technologies. CIVS and SMSVC companies, in partnership with national labs and other universities, have also earned over $25 million in competitive research funding from federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, to develop new technologies for ironmaking and steelmaking.

“The decade-long leadership of CIVS through the SMSVC is a distinct example of how Purdue University Northwest advances our region through the integration of applied research, advanced technology and workforce development,” said PNW Chancellor Kenneth C. Holford. “As we mark this milestone alongside PNW’s 10th anniversary, we take great pride in the CIVS team’s role in driving transformational innovation across Northwest Indiana. The groundbreaking research that CIVS shares with its industry partners helps many of the nation’s leading manufacturers overcome new and existing challenges.”

To learn more about CIVS and the SMSVC, visit pnw.edu/civs.

About Purdue University Northwest

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is a student-centered university that transforms lives through innovative education, impactful research and community engagement. Located in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago, PNW is recognized as a First Gen Forward Network Leader and an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University. PNW advances the socioeconomic mobility of its students and positively impacts regional development. For more information, visit pnw.edu.