Original Article

Numerical study on the reduction characteristics of iron ore powder coated with carbon in a fluidized bed

School of Metallurgical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243002, Anhui, PR China

^* e-mail: qiyan.xu@163.com

Received: 31 July 2024
Accepted: 6 June 2025

Abstract

This study developed an iron ore powder reduction model using the multiphase particle-in-cell (MP-PIC) framework, by simulating the reduction effect of different conditions, and validated it experimentally. It also investigated the influence of key parameters such as gas velocity and pressure on the reduction effect and determined the optimal experimental conditions. The model’s accuracy was confirmed by comparing it with experimental data. The results show that the optimal gas velocity and pressure were found to be 0.6 m/s and 0.2 MPa, respectively. The study also examined the effects of varying amounts of carbon coating on iron ore powder during the reduction process, finding that the highest reduction performance was achieved with a 16% carbon content, generating CH₄, H₂, and CO and enhancing the metallization degree.