An Investigation of Carburization Behavior of Molten Iron for the Flash Ironmaking Process

In order to recognize the dripping and the carburizing behaviors of the molten iron within the coke packed bed in the flash ironmaking process, a transient three-dimensional numerical model was developed. The volume of fluid (VOF) approach is used to describe the movement of the molten iron and the argon gas. The porous medium module is employed to define the momentum, heat, and mass transfer between the coke packed bed and the molten iron. Moreover, a factor is introduced to consider the influence of the ash film on the carburization process. A reasonable agreement between the experiment and simulation is obtained. The results indicate that the molten iron flows downward from the upper crucible to middle crucible. After entering the middle crucible, the molten iron spreads around within the coke packed bed and simultaneously moves downward. The carbon is, therefore, transferred from the coke to the molten iron. With the 47-mm-height coke packed bed, the carbon content in the molten iron after the carburization decreases from 3.19 to 1.97 pct, while the coke diameter ranges from 2 to 5 mm. With the 2-mm-diameter coke, the carbon content in the molten iron after the carburization increases from 2.84 to 4.81 pct, while the coke packed bed height increases from 37 to 97 mm.