Modeling and Simulation of Multiphase Transport Phenomena in Process Metallurgy

Dear Colleagues,

Process metallurgy typically involves complex multiphase transport phenomena (MTP), including fluid flow, heat and mass transfer between inter/intra-phases with the dispersed phases such as droplets, particles and bubbles (DPBs) and continuum carried phase(s). Therefore, understanding the fundamentals governing MTP is of paramount importance to the design, control and optimization of widely used metal processes, such as those used for iron, steel, copper, aluminum, zinc, nickel, etc., as well as extracting/refining processes involving ferrous and non-ferrous metal manufacturing industries.

Compared to the difficulty of in situ observations due to high-temperature hostile environments and scaled-down experiments due to the failure of scale-up and similarity incompletely guaranteed, a promising alternative technique that can overcome these problems is computer modeling and simulation. The critical role of modeling and simulation in process metallurgy has been well recognized. Various modeling methods and simulation techniques have been extensively reported and provide possible solutions for the future development of the metals industry. However, it is more challenging to understand multiphase transport phenomena at different length and time scales which, for DPBs, includes: sub-DPB micro-scale, DPBs mesoscale, and reactors/process equipment macro-scale. Thus, multiscale, multiphase, and multi-disciplinary methods need to be employed to investigate phenomena and mechanisms in metallurgical processes.

In the past two decades or so, with the rapid development of computer technology, many advanced computational technologies have been developed and applied to tackle problems of various types. In this Special Issue, I am pleased to invite you to contribute to this topic related to the modeling and simulation of metallurgical processes, especially involving DPBs and MTP (either discrete- or continuum-based), such as molecular dynamics (MD), lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), smooth particle hydrodynamic (SPH), discrete element method (DEM), population balance model (PBM), two/multi-fluid method (TFM), Eulerian–Eulerian (E-E CFD), volume of fluid (VOF), or their coupled/combined/hybrid methods. The application of these techniques in metals processes is particularly encouraged, and related experimental or physical model investigations are also welcomed.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Fluid flow, heat and mass transfer phenomena in process metallurgy;
• Modeling and simulation in extraction metallurgical processes;
• Multiscale, multiphase, and multi-physics phenomena investigations;
• Particles/inclusions, bubbles, and droplets;
• Reactors and process optimizations for metal extraction and refinement;
• Validation, verification, and calibration of modeling and simulation;
• MD/LBM/SPH/DEM//PBM/VOF/CFD with/without a turbulence closure using DNS/RANS/LES/DES.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Qiang Li
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.