the SIA Iron and Steel Heritage Forum (ISHF)
is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting
Cokemaking, Part 2, Modern Era: Coke Ovens
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2026 at 5pm Eastern
“Modern” Cokemaking is making coke in long, narrow refractory chambers or retorts.
By using the term retort, I am utilizing the most general meaning of the process in which material is heated in the absence of air. Although the industry has evolved from the pit to the beehive to the retort, this is true only when viewed chronologically. The beehive oven was a direct result of coking in piles but, retort ovens were invented for other reasons. In fact, each method has its own evolutionary track.
The most general description that can be given to the heating mechanism of each method is as follows:
In coking a pile, some coal is consumed to heat the remaining material.
In a beehive oven, retained heat of the oven begins the coking process. Air is deliberately introduced into the oven chamber and the evolved gases ignite. The volume of air is regulated to intentionally prevent the complete combustion of the evolved gas. Radiant and reflected heat from the burning gas heats the coal mass. Coal is not consumed directly.
In a retort, as with a beehive oven, coking is begun through the retained heat of the brick. However, the gases are withdrawn and burned externally as a source of heat. No air is intentionally permitted to enter the oven chamber during coking. The coal is “destructively distilled.
Speaker: Ken Kobus
Ken Kobus is a retired third-generation steelworker with over 40 years of service at J&L, LTV and USS. He is an experienced manager of cokemaking and coal chemicals facilities, as well as their maintenance and environmental management. He has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Ken is also the author of an annotated version of Charles Walker’s 1922 book, Steel…The Diary of a Furnace Worker. He coauthored four books about the Pennsylvania Railroad in the Pittsburgh and Altoona areas. Ken has also written a number of articles for both paper and on-line publications about railroads and steel.
His newest book is Conway Yard: Keystone of the PRR by Ken Kobus, Frank Napoleon, and Steve Tichenal.
PRR’s Conway Yard is one of, if not the most important rail yard in America. This book explores the reason why it was built, and studies the complex series of PRR lines that encircled and worked in tandem with Conway. It also considers many of the factors how, during the PRR’s modern era, Conway evolved with the needs of the times. This 166-page hardbound book is Smyth sewn and contains nearly 300 illustrations, some in color. A matching CD offers 45 large scale detail maps in pdf format.
https://www.prrths.org/content.aspx?page_id=586&club_id=171391&item_id=23698
Zoom Call Details
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Next scheduled talks:
Oct 28, 2026: Ken Kobus, Coke Making part 3: Coke Movie Night
Nov 5, 2026: Dr Anne Kelly Knowles: GIS and the study of early American Iron Industry
Dec 15, 2026: Scott Huston, History of Lukens Steel
Jan 20, 2027: Christopher Marston, “The Historic American Engineering Record and the Steel Industry”
Feb 2027: Dr Kevin Righter, Meteorites and Their Early Use as a Source of Iron
Additional talks will be scheduled soon
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Invite your friends to our monthly talks. All they need to do is send an email to me at tmeadow@ferrumwest.com and I can add them directly.
We’re always looking for suggestions for speakers and topics on iron and steel matters. Send your suggestions along! Hope to see you online soon!
