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The recovery of iron contained in mill scale rather than iron ore can be considered a promising valorization pathway for this waste, especially if carried out through reduction using biogenic carbon sources. Nevertheless, the physicochemical properties of the latter may hinder the industrial transferability of such a pathway. In this work, the mechanical and metallurgical behavior of self-reduced briquettes composed of mill scale and four biogenic carbons (with increasing ratios of fixed carbon to volatile matter and ash) was studied. Each sample achieved mechanical performance above the benchmarks established for their application in metallurgical furnaces, although the presence of alkali compounds in the ash negatively affected the water resistance of the briquettes. In terms of metallurgical performance, although agglomeration successfully exploited the reduction by volatiles from 750 °C, full iron recovery and slag separation required an amount of fixed carbon higher than 6.93% and a heat treatment temperature of 1400 °C. Finally, the presence of Ca-, Al-, and Si- compounds in the ash was essential for the creation of a slag compatible with steelmaking processes and capable of retaining both phosphorus and sulfur, hence protecting the recovered iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quick computation approach based on cellular automata is developed and implemented to describe the reduction of iron ore pellets by a mixture of reducing agents featured by different H2/CO ratios. The evolution of oxygen concentration inside the pellet is followed from the beginning to the end of contact between reducing agent and pellet. The variation of thermal state of pellets and gas mixture is computed based on their initial temperature, considering the heat involved and the convective heat exchange between pellet and gas mixture. The use of cellular automata and finite‐difference method to solve the diffusion equation point out the absence of any diffusion coefficient value, allowing to make the model fit the experimental trial, because the problem is that it is not ruled just by diffusion but also by the concentration variation of reducing agent inside the pellet due to porosity increasing during reduction. The updating of the reducing agents concentration implies a sharp decrease of oxygen concentration that the cellular automata model considers. The developed model is able to provide the in‐line control of reduction process and could be used to adjust the chemical concentration and temperature of injected reducing agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consequences on the Italian steel sector following the conversion of the sole integrated steel plant and the establishment of a direct reduction/electric arc furnace (DR/EAF) grid in the period 2022–2050 were analyzed. Imported natural gas (pathway 0), green hydrogen (pathway 1) and biomethane (pathway 2) were studied as possible reducing gases to be exploited in the DR plant and to be introduced as a methane substitute in EAFs. The results showed that the environmental targets for the sustainable development scenario could be achieved in both 2030 and 2050. In particular, the main reduction would occur by 2030 as a result of the cease of the integrated plant itself, allowing for an overall reduction of 71% of the CO2 emitted in 2022. On the other hand, reaching the maximum production capacity of the DR plants by 2050 (6 Mton) would result in final emission reductions of 25%, 80% and 35% for pathways 0, 1 and 2, respectively. Finally, the creation of a DR/EAF grid would increase the energy demand burden, especially for pathway 1, which would require three times as much green energy as pathway 0 and/or 2 (36 TWh/y vs. ca. 12 TWh/y). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flatness and surface quality are important quality indexes of strip steel, and roll wear will directly affect the product's flatness and surface quality. Online roll profile measurement technology can obtain the information of roll profile in real time, guide the optimization of roll change rhythm, and improve the flatness control ability of rolling mill and surface quality of strip product. However, the error caused by roll displacement, clearance, roll thermal crown, and other factors is usually the same order of magnitude as the roll shape or roll wear, or even one order of magnitude higher. So error compensation is the key to ensuring the accuracy of online roll profile measurement. Herein, the position measurement technology of the roll bearing block is considered in the online roll profile measurement, and the measurement error caused by the deviation of the roll axis is separated. The thermal crown model is established to separate the measurement errors caused by the thermal crown. The error compensation model of online roll profile measurement is established, and the simulation calculation is carried out. This error compensation method is of great significance to improve the accuracy of online roll profile measurement and realize the fine management of mill roll in service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) is of great significance for refining grains, improving mechanical properties, and obtaining high‐quality products during thermomechanical deformation. This article studies the DRX behavior of low‐carbon steel within the temperature range of 900–1100 °C and the strain rate of 0.01–1 s−1 based on the Gleeble‐3800 thermal‐simulation experimental machine and establishes a DRX kinetic model suitable for different strain rates. The established model is embedded in the DEFORM‐3D simulation software to simulate the DRX behavior of high‐temperature plastic deformation of the material and to study the influence of the deformation amount, deformation temperature, and strain rate on the deformation inhomogeneity of the material. The results show that under the strain rate of 0.01–1 s−1, the 2/5 position from center to surface corresponds to the preset strain, and under the strain rate of 0.1–1 s−1, the 1/2 position from center to surface corresponds to the preset strain, and the importance of the sampling position is proved in combination with the DRX behavior. This article establishes a sampling theory that describes the position corresponding to the preset deformation amount, and it is important for guiding subsequent microstructural characterization experiments to reveal the DRX behavior of materials during thermomechanical deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]