About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T26: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Advances and Challenges in Decarbonization of the Steel Industry
|
| Presentation Title |
Analyzing the Morphological Evolution of Dendritic Iron During Hydrogen Reduction of Iron Oxides: Insights from Experiments and Phase Field Modeling |
| Author(s) |
Sourav Ghosh, Ram K. Mohanta, Yuri Korobeinikov, Sridhar Seetharaman, Kumar Ankit |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Kumar Ankit |
| Abstract Scope |
Hydrogen-based reduction of iron oxides offers a pathway to low-carbon steelmaking, yet the mechanisms governing dendritic iron growth remain unclear. Here, the reduction of molten wüstite (FeO) to solid iron (Fe) is studied at ~1400°C. In situ confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) reveals that iron formed during reduction exhibits a transition from compact to dendritic morphologies depending on growth conditions. To interpret these observations, a quantitative multiphase field model is developed to simulate morphological evolution during reduction, incorporating three phase thermodynamics (Fe–FeO–H2O), interfacial reactions, diffusion, and anisotropic interface kinetics. Simulations show that dendritic morphologies emerge from coupling between interfacial oxygen depletion and crystallographic anisotropy, promoting lateral growth along the melt surface while suppressing perpendicular growth. Predicted dendrite tip velocities agree with CSLM measurements. The model also captures the transition from compact to asymmetric dendrite morphologies, providing mechanistic insight and a predictive framework for microstructure control. |