About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Fundamentals of Sustainable Metallurgy and Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Mechanisms of dendritic iron growth during hydrogen reduction of molten iron oxide: Experiments and phase field modeling |
| Author(s) |
Sourav Ghosh, Rama Krushna Mohanta, Yuri Korobeinikov, Sridhar Seetharaman, Kumar Ankit |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Kumar Ankit |
| Abstract Scope |
Hydrogen-based reduction of iron oxides offers a promising route toward low-carbon steelmaking, yet the mechanisms governing dendritic iron growth remain poorly understood. Here, the reduction of molten wüstite (FeO) to solid iron (Fe) is investigated at ~1400°C. In situ confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) reveals a transition from compact to dendritic iron morphologies. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, a multicomponent multiphase-field model incorporating three-phase thermodynamics (Fe–FeO–H₂O), interfacial reactions, diffusion, and anisotropic interface kinetics is developed. Simulations show that dendritic growth arises from the interplay between interfacial oxygen depletion and crystallographic anisotropy, favoring growth parallel to the FeO melt–gas interface. Predicted dendrite tip velocities agree with CSLM measurements. Building on the two-dimensional framework, three-dimensional phase-field simulations are quantitatively compared with focused ion beam (FIB)-based 3D characterization, validating dendrite morphology and branching characteristics. These results provide mechanistic insight into dendritic iron growth and a predictive framework for microstructural evolution during hydrogen reduction. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Iron and Steel, Modeling and Simulation, Characterization |