CIVS Ironmaking Research Presented at TMS Conference
CIVS Graduate Research Assistant, Abdul Mateen, presented CIVS ironmaking research at the TMS Conference in San Diego, CA, on March 15-17. He presented research work on the pilot ironmaking project by ARPA-E, where he is performing the CFD analysis to understand and provide feedback to the project team. He also took part in the student reception and networking events, along with a poster presentation.
The research is supported by the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), with the project being headed by Argonne National Lab, and other collaborators include the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Starfire Industries and ArcelorMittal. The modeling presented in the poster was based on experiments performed by Daniel Ellis, Dr. Mohan Sankaran, Dr. Vivek Pachchigar, and UIUC’s Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering.
Conference presentation “CFD Modeling of Iron Ore Concentrate Reduction in a Rotary Kiln Furnace”. This study presents the development of a simulation model for analyzing hydrogen-based reduction of iron ore fines in a rotary kiln reactor, aiming to provide an alternative to traditional ironmaking methods capable of accepting and processing lower-grade oxide materials. Standard direct reduction ironmaking reactors require a minimum grade of pellets for ore processing, and though reliable, result in significantly greater CO₂ emissions. Utilizing microwave-generated hydrogen plasma reduction in a rotary kiln offers a promising, zero-carbon alternative with reduced energy consumption due to favorable thermodynamics and the lack of need for palletization.
The study incorporates computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to develop a simulation of multiphase reactor flow through a rotary kiln furnace, investigating ore reduction efficiency, gas utilization, and reactor performance. The findings aim to support the development of a scalable, low-emission ironmaking process suitable for integration with existing steelmaking infrastructure.
Poster presentation “Validation of Iron Ore H-Plasma Reduction CFD Model in a Laboratory Scale Setup”. Hydrogen plasma reduction offers a vital zero-carbon alternative to current ironmaking technologies. This study presents a 2D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of a laboratory setup designed to simulate the reduction kinetics between hydrogen and iron ore fines. Utilizing a multiphase framework, the simulation models a single plasma applicator impinging microwave-generated hydrogen plasma onto an ore sample. The primary objective is to derive precise reaction kinetics under varying parameters to validate the physics observed in published research conducted at the laboratory scale. The validated kinetics are intended for subsequent integration into a larger rotary kiln simulation involving continuous ore fines flow. By investigating reduction efficiency and gas utilization at the patch scale, this work aims to support the development of a model for a scalable, low-emission ironmaking process.
The TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition brings together more than 4,000 engineers, scientists, business leaders, and other professionals in the minerals, metals, and materials fields for a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary exchange of technical knowledge.
This conference provided a great opportunity for presenting the innovative technologies CIVS is working on & the growing academic research with industrial interests for newer methods and technologies to reduce emissions in the industry.
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