(no subject)
this morning, with andrew's help, i made a supreme effort and arrived at work 10 minutes early instead of my usual 15 minutes late. the reason? today we had a field trip to washington's one and only steel mill. it happens to be located across the street from my building in west seattle.
it was definitely worth the extra effort. a small group of my fellow researchers (plus andrew) spent almost two hours being escorted through the steel making process. the nucor steel mill produces steel that is 99+% recycled materials, and it was an amazing process to observe. we watched scrap metal from the huge piles of shredded cars, tin cans, and other squashed and used up items being loaded into gargantuan suspended containers using electromagnets. then (by far the most exciting part) we observed the process of melting it down in the huge electrode furnace. it involved loud noises, crackling electricity, and many many flames. temperature in the furnace? 3179 degrees. then our tour guide took us to the floor under the furnace where the molten steel is poured into bars that are later cooled, then reheated just enough to shape into the 100+ products that the mill produces for sale in canada, los angeles, and the northwest.
things i learned that made me happy:
- the steel mill is practically a 100% recycled process. the steel they produce is just as strong as virgin steel, but made with less than 1% virgin products.
- all the by-products of the steel production are also reprocessed and sold to various industries. even the dust that is produced from the melting process is filtered out in one of two buildings that are basically big vacuums and sold to a company that separates into its components and uses them.
all in all this was one of the most education mornings i've had in my life. plus i got to see lots of fire, explosions and liquid metal. fabulous.
it was definitely worth the extra effort. a small group of my fellow researchers (plus andrew) spent almost two hours being escorted through the steel making process. the nucor steel mill produces steel that is 99+% recycled materials, and it was an amazing process to observe. we watched scrap metal from the huge piles of shredded cars, tin cans, and other squashed and used up items being loaded into gargantuan suspended containers using electromagnets. then (by far the most exciting part) we observed the process of melting it down in the huge electrode furnace. it involved loud noises, crackling electricity, and many many flames. temperature in the furnace? 3179 degrees. then our tour guide took us to the floor under the furnace where the molten steel is poured into bars that are later cooled, then reheated just enough to shape into the 100+ products that the mill produces for sale in canada, los angeles, and the northwest.
things i learned that made me happy:
- the steel mill is practically a 100% recycled process. the steel they produce is just as strong as virgin steel, but made with less than 1% virgin products.
- all the by-products of the steel production are also reprocessed and sold to various industries. even the dust that is produced from the melting process is filtered out in one of two buildings that are basically big vacuums and sold to a company that separates into its components and uses them.
all in all this was one of the most education mornings i've had in my life. plus i got to see lots of fire, explosions and liquid metal. fabulous.