Recent Developments and Research on Ironmaking and Steelmaking

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1417

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
National Center for Materials Service Safety, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: steelmaking; metallurgy; optimization of steelmaking process; smelting of clean steel and special steel; gas and powder injection technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the continuous advancement of scientific research and industrial practices, ironmaking and steelmaking technologies are evolving, focusing primarily on low-carbon energy savings, artificial intelligence, and high-quality special steels. The DRI can partially replace scrap steel and molten iron, becoming a crucial metallurgical raw material for converter and electric arc furnace, which presents substantial challenges to traditional smelting and refining methods. By utilizing neural networks and data mining techniques, volumes of industrial application data can be used to optimize metallurgical operation parameters in real time. In response to the complex requirements for steel used in oil and gas pipelines, tunnels, bridges, and transportation, such as high temperatures and pressures, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and durability, there is an ongoing drive for the iterative optimization of metal material varieties. In light of these circumstances, metallurgists are persistently pursuing innovations, experimenting with new techniques, and synthesizing novel unit technologies and process methods.

Dr. Fuhai Liu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ironmaking
  • steelmaking
  • continuous casting
  • low-carbon metallurgy
  • artificial intelligence
  • specialty steel
  • crystallization and segregation
  • properties of refining and mold slags

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4917 KB  
Article
Kinetics of the Reduction of Iron Ore Pellets with Hydrogen: A Parametric Experimental and Modeling Study
by Antoine Marsigny, Jean-Baptiste Letz, Olivier Mirgaux and Fabrice Patisson
Metals 2025, 15(9), 1034; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15091034 (registering DOI) - 18 Sep 2025
Abstract
The direct reduction of iron ore by hydrogen is a serious candidate for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the iron and steelmaking industry by replacing traditional blast furnace technology. The reduction kinetics are key to this process. The present paper reports an extensive [...] Read more.
The direct reduction of iron ore by hydrogen is a serious candidate for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the iron and steelmaking industry by replacing traditional blast furnace technology. The reduction kinetics are key to this process. The present paper reports an extensive parametric study of the reduction of iron ore pellets with hydrogen that combines both experiments and modeling. A new model (modified grainy pellet model) was developed on the basis of the grainy pellet concept, the law of additive reaction times and the evolution of gas composition. The chemical kinetic constants of the three-step reduction reaction were determined from isothermal thermogravimetry experiments in the 600–900 °C temperature range. The model was then validated against laboratory-scale fixed-bed experimental results. A comparison with the experimental thermogravimetry results for a broad range of operating parameters shows the robustness of the model. The effects of temperature, gas dilution, gas flow rate, water content, pellet size, pressure, porosity, tortuosity, and specific surface area were investigated. The temperature, pellet size, pressure, gas composition and, particularly, the water content and gas flow rate have major influences on the reaction rate, in contrast to the initial porosity and specific surface area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments and Research on Ironmaking and Steelmaking)
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19 pages, 2806 KB  
Article
Operating Solutions to Improve the Direct Reduction of Iron Ore by Hydrogen in a Shaft Furnace
by Antoine Marsigny, Olivier Mirgaux and Fabrice Patisson
Metals 2025, 15(8), 862; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15080862 - 1 Aug 2025
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Abstract
The production of iron and steel plays a significant role in the anthropogenic carbon footprint, accounting for 7% of global GHG emissions. In the context of CO2 mitigation, the steelmaking industry is looking to potentially replace traditional carbon-based ironmaking processes with hydrogen-based [...] Read more.
The production of iron and steel plays a significant role in the anthropogenic carbon footprint, accounting for 7% of global GHG emissions. In the context of CO2 mitigation, the steelmaking industry is looking to potentially replace traditional carbon-based ironmaking processes with hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron ore in shaft furnaces. Before industrialization, detailed modeling and parametric studies were needed to determine the proper operating parameters of this promising technology. The modeling approach selected here was to complement REDUCTOR, a detailed finite-volume model of the shaft furnace, which can simulate the gas and solid flows, heat transfers and reaction kinetics throughout the reactor, with an extension that describes the whole gas circuit of the direct reduction plant, including the top gas recycling set up and the fresh hydrogen production. Innovative strategies (such as the redirection of part of the bustle gas to a cooling inlet, the use of high nitrogen content in the gas, and the introduction of a hot solid burden) were investigated, and their effects on furnace operation (gas utilization degree and total energy consumption) were studied with a constant metallization target of 94%. It has also been demonstrated that complete metallization can be achieved at little expense. These strategies can improve the thermochemical state of the furnace and lead to different energy requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments and Research on Ironmaking and Steelmaking)
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