Structural parameter optimization for novel internal-loop iron–carbon micro-electrolysis reactors using computational fluid dynamics

It is generally recognized that internal-loop reactors are well-developed mass and heat-transfer multiphase flow reactors. However, the internal flow field in the internal-loop reactor is influenced by the structure parameter of the reactor, which has a great effect on the reaction efficiency. In this study, the computational fluid dynamics simulation method was used to determine the influence of reactor structure on flow field, and a volume-offluid model was employed to simulate the gas–liquid, two-phase flow of the internal-loop micro-electrolysis reactor. Hydrodynamic factors were optimized when the height-to-diameter ratio was 4:1, diameter ratio was9:1, draft-tube axial height was 90 mm. Three-dimensional simulations for the water distributor were carried out, and the results suggested that the optimal conditions are as follows: the number of water distribution pipes was four, and an inhomogeneous water distribution was used. According to the results of the simulation,the suitable structure can be used to achieve good fluid mechanical properties, such as the good liquid circulation velocity and gas holdup, which provides a good theoretical foundation for the application of the reactor.

Degradation of Nitrobenzene Wastewater via Iron/Carbon Micro-electrolysis Enhanced by Ultrasound Coupled with Hydrogen Peroxide

The zero valent iron/granular active carbon(ZVI/GAC) micro-electrolysis enhanced by ultrasound(US) coupled with hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2) was investigated for the deep degradation of nitrobenzene-containing wastewater. The results of scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-rays analysis(SEM-EDS) demonstrated that continuously accelerated regeneration of ZVI and GAC in situ by US could improve the process for converting nitrobenzene(NB) to aniline(AN). H_2O_2 was decomposed catalytically by the byproduct Fe^(2+) ions generated in the micro-electrolysis process to hydroxyl radicals and the organic pollutants in the wastewater were finally mineralized to CO2 and H2O. Effects of the ZVI dosage, the ZVI/GAC mass ratio, the initial pH value and the H_2O_2 dosage on the efficiency for degradation of NB were studied in these experiments. The optimal operating conditions covered a ZVI dosage of 15 g/L, a ZVI/GAC mass ratio of 1:2,an initial pH value of 3 and a H_2O_2 dosage of 4 mL. In this case, the NB removal efficiency reached 97.72% and the total organic carbon(TOC) removal efficiency reached 73.42% at a NB concentration of 300 mg/L. The reduction of NB by USZVI/GAC followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics model, and the pseudo-first-order rate constants were given at different initial pH values. The reaction intermediates such as AN, benzoquinonimine, p-benzoquinone, p-nitrophenol and other organic acids were detected and a probable pathway for NB degradation has been proposed.

Effect of CaO and CaCO3 on Reduction Rate of Iron Ore Pellets Containing Carbon

The effect of metallurgical fluxes CaO and CaCO3 on the reduction rate of iron ore pellets containing carbon in nitrogen atmosphere has been studied by a weight-loss thermal balance. The experimental results showed that adding CaO or CaCO3 can promote reduction reaction as the added CaO or CaCO3 probably decrease the apparent activation energy of iron ore concentrate-carbon-CaO or CaCO3 reaction, and the reduction rate constant changes with mass percent of CaO and CaCO3. The kinetic analysis also showed that the rate-controlling step of the reaction is inner gas diffusion.

Formation mechanism of spheroidal carbide in ultra-low carbon ductile cast iron

The formation mechanism of the spheroidal carbide in the ultra-low carbon ductile cast iron fabricated by the metal mold casting technique was systematically investigated. The results demonstrated that the spheroidal carbide belonged to eutectic carbide and crystallized in the isolated eutectic liquid phase area. The formation process of the spheroidal carbide was related to the contact and the intersection between the primary dendrite and the secondary dendrite of austenite. The oxides of magnesium, rare earths and other elements can act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for the spheroidal carbide. It was also found that the amount of the spheroidal carbide would increase with an increase in carbon content. The cooling rate has an important influence on the spheroidal carbide under the same chemical composition condition.

Microstructure and properties of pure iron/copper composite cladding layers on carbon steel

In the present study, pure iron/copper composite metal cladding was deposited onto carbon steel by tungsten inert gas welding. The study focused on interfacial morphological, microstructural, and mechanical analyses of the composite cladding layers. Iron liquid–solid-phase zones were formed at copper/steel and iron interfaces because of the melting of the steel substrate and iron. Iron concentrated in the copper cladding layer was observed to exhibit belt, globule, and dendrite morphologies. The appearance of iron-rich globules indicated the occurrence of liquid phase separation（LPS） prior to solidification, and iron-rich dendrites crystallized without the occurrence of LPS. The maximum microhardness of the iron/steel interface was lower than that of the copper/steel interface because of the diffusion of elemental carbon. All samples fractured in the cladding layers. Because of a relatively lower strength of the copper layer, a short plateau region appeared when shear movement was from copper to iron.

Fabrication of K-promoted iron/carbon nanotubes composite catalysts for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis of lower olefins

K-promoted iron/carbon nanotubes composite（i.e., Fe K-OX） was prepared by a redox reaction between carbon nanotubes and K2FeO4followed by thermal treatments on a purpose as the Fischer–Tropsch catalyst for the direct conversion of syngas to lower olefins. Its catalytic behaviors were compared with those of the other two Fe-IM and Fe K-IM catalysts prepared by impregnation method followed by thermal treatments. The novel Fe K-OX composite catalyst is found to exhibit higher hydrocarbon selectivity,lower olefins selectivity and chain growth probability as well as better stability. The catalyst structureperformance relationship has been established using multiple techniques including XRD, Raman, TEM and EDS elemental mapping. In addition, effects of additional potassium into the Fe K-OX composite catalyst on the FTO performance were also investigated and discussed. Additional potassium promoters further endow the catalysts with higher yield of lower olefins. These results demonstrated that the introduction method of promoters and iron species plays a crucial role in the design and fabrication of highly active,selective and stable iron-based composite catalysts for the FTO reaction.

Effect of austenitization temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of low-carbon-equivalent carbidic austempered ductile iron

The wear resistances of austempered ductile iron （ADI） were improved through intxoduction of a new phase （carbide） into the ma- txix by addition of chromium. In the present investigation, low-caxbon-equivalent ductile iron （LCEDI） （CE = 3.06%, and CE represents cax- bon-equivalent） with 2.42% chromium was selected. LCEDI was austeintized at two difl＇erent temperatures （900 and 975~C） a^ld soaked for 1 h and then quenched in a salt bath at 325~C for 0 to 10 h. Samples were analyzed using optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Wear tests were carded out on a pin-on-disk-type machine. The efl＇ect of austenization temperature on the wear resistance, impact strength, and the mi- crostructure was evaluated. A stxucture-property correlation based on the observations is established.

EFFECT OF TRACE ELEMENTS WITH ZERO SELF－INTERACTIONCOEFFICIENT ON CRYSTALLIZATION TEMPERATUREOF IRON CARBON ALLOYS

The effect of trace elements with zero self-interaction coefficient on crystallization temperature of iron carbon alloys was studied and the mathematic equation was developed based on thermodynamics in the present researeh. With the equation developed in this paper, the effects of nitrogen on crystallization temperature of Fe-3.45C-2.15Si0. 16Mn and Fe-3.45C-2. 15Si-0. 80Mn alloys were discussed.

REDUCTION BEHAVIOR OF IRON ORE PELLETS CONTAININGCARBON UNDER NON-ISOTHERMAL CONDITION

The reduction behavior of iron ore pellets containing carbon under non-isothermal condition in the temperature range from 573 to 1373 K was investigated in a laboratory scale setup. The test results show that carbon content has no obvious effect on reduction degree of composite pellets (C/O mole ratio=1.0) by CO in the temperature range from 573 to 1373 K under linear temperature-rising program; reduction degree of iron ore pellets containing carbon is large in 90%CO-10%CO2 mixture than that of in 100%CO atmosphere or in 80%CO-20%CO2 mixture; the s type temperature-rising program has a better effect than that of linear one in increasing the reduction degree; and reduction degree of slower linear temperature-rising program is greater than that of faster one, but the final reduction degrees, i.e., those at the highest temperature are about the same for various CO partial pressures or temperature-rising programs. The kinetic analysis also shows that the reduction of iron ore-carbon composite pellets by CO or CO-CO2 mixture under non-isothermal condition should be controlled by surface reaction, and the apparent reduction activation energy changes with the reduction progress under various test conditions.

Application of carbon composite iron ore hot briquette to innovative ironmaking process

As a new type of ironmaking raw materials,carbon composite iron ore hot briquette(CCB) is the product of fine iron ore and fine coal by hot briquetting process.On basis of experimental research on the manufacturing and metallurgical properties of CCB,this study focused on the application of CCB to blast furnace ironmaking and newly-developed shaft furnace smelting reduction processes.Firstly,the metallurgical properties of CCB are experimentally tested and compared with the common iron-bearing burdens.Then,the effects of charging CCB on blast furnace operation are numerically analyzed by means of multi-fluid blast furnace model,and the flowchart and pilot test of CCB-Shaft furnace smelting reduction process are briefly introduced.

Effect of Rolling Process on Microstructure and Wear Properties of High Carbon Equivalent Gray Cast Iron

Rolling process based on the plastic deformation as a surface strengthening treatment was employed,aiming to improve the wear resistance ability and functional performance of the high carbon equivalent gray cast iron(HCEGCI).The microstructures and tribological performance of the untreated and rolled samples were characterized.In addition,the wear mechanism of HCEGCI samples was also studied via pin-on-disc tests.The experimental results show that the as-rolled samples possess the structure-refined layer of 15μm and work-hardened layer of 0.13 mm.In comparison with the surface hardness of untreated samples,the surface hardness of as-rolled samples increases by 84.6%(from 240HV0.1 to 443HV0.1)and the residual compressive stresses existed within the range of 0.2 mm.The wear rates of as-rolled samples were decreased by 38.4%,37.5%,and 44.4%under different loads of 5 N,10 N,and 15 N,respectively.The wear characteristics of the untreated samples mainly exhibit the peeling wear coupled with partial adhesive and abrasive wear.However,as for the as-rolled samples,the adhesive wear was limited by the structure-refined layer and the micro-crack propagation was controlled by the work-hardened layer.Therefore,the wear resistance of as-rolled samples can be improved significantly due to the low wearing degree of the friction contact zone.

Mechanism of protective film formation during CO_2 corrosion of X65 pipeline steel

Electrochemical techniques, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were applied to study the corrosion behaviors of X65 steel in static solution with carbon dioxide （CO2） at 65℃. The results show that iron carbonate （FeCO3） deposits on the steel surface as a corrosion product scale. This iron carbonate scale acts as a barrier to CO2 corrosion, and can reduce the general corrosion rate. The protection ability of the scale is closely related to the scale morphological characteristics.

Evolution behavior and mechanism of iron carbon agglomerates under simulated blast furnace smelting conditions

Iron carbon agglomerates(ICA)are the composite burden for low-carbon blast furnace(BF)ironmaking.In order to optimize the reactivity of ICA according to the evolution characteristics of ICA in the BF smelting process,the evolution behavior and mechanism of different reactive ICA under simulated BF smelting conditions were studied.The results show that the existence of more sillimanite and aluminosilicate and less active sites of metallic iron will weaken gasification reaction and carburization ability of ICA-1(containing 10%iron ore).It weakens the promoting effect of ICA-1 on the reduction,softening,and melting of ferrous burdens and the dripping of slag-iron.The aluminosilicate with a high melting point decreases,the low melting point slag phase and Fe–Si alloy increase,and many active sites of metallic iron exist,which strengthen the gasification reaction and carburization ability of ICA-2(containing 30%iron ore).The promoting effect of ICA-2 on the reduction,softening,and melting of ferrous burdens and the dripping of slag-iron is significantly improved.The gasification reaction capacity of ICA-3(containing 35%iron ore)is reduced,and the improvement in ICA-3 on the softening–melting performance of mixed burdens is reduced.The appropriate proportion of iron ore in ICA is about 30%.

Transformation character of ferrite formation by a ledge mechanism under a mixed-control model

A mixed-control model was developed to study the transformation character of ferrite formation by a ledge mechanism. A nu- merical two-dimensional diffusion-field model was combined to describe the evolution of the diffusion field ahead of the migrating austenite/ferrite interface. The calculation results show that the bulk diffusion-controlled model leads to a deviation from experimental results under large solute supersaturation. In the mixed-control model, solute supersaturation and a parameter Z together determine the transformation character, which is quantified by the normalized concentration of carbon in austenite at the austenite/ferfite interface. By comparing with experimental data, thepre-exponential factor of interface mobility, M0, is estimated within the range from 0.10 to 0.60 mol-m·J^-1·s^-1 for the alloys with 0.1 lwt%-0.49wt% C at 700-740℃. For a certain Fe-C alloy, the trend of the transformation character relies on the magnitude of M0 as the transformation temperature decreases.

Cementites decomposition of a pearlitic ductile cast iron during graphitization annealing heat treatment

Cementites decomposition of a pearlitic ductile cast iron during graphitization annealing heat treatment was investigated.Fractographies and microstructures of heat treated samples were observed using a scanning electron microscope and mechanical properties were measured by a universal tensile test machine.The results indicated that during isothermal annealing at 750°C,the tensile strength of pearlitic ductile cast iron was increased to a peak value at 0.5h,and decreased gradually thereafter but the elongation was enhanced with the increase of annealing time.Moreover,the diffusion coefficient of carbon atoms could be approximately calculated as 0.56μm2/s that could be regarded as the shortrange diffusion.As the holding time was short（0.5h）,diffusion of carbon atoms was incomplete and mainly occurred around the graphites where the morphology of cementites changed from fragmentized shape to granular shape.In addition,the ductile cast iron with tensile strength of 740MPa and elongation of 7% could be achieved after graphitization annealing heat treatment for 0.5h.Two principal factors should be taken into account.First,the decomposition of a small amount of cementites was beneficial for increasing the ductility up to elongation of 7%.Second,the diffusion of carbon atoms from cementites to graphites could improve the binding force between graphites and matrix,enhancing the tensile strength to 740 MPa.

Control of iron nanoparticle size by manipulating PEG-ethanol colloidal solutions and spin-coating parameters for the growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Iron catalyst nanoparticles were prepared on silicon wafers by spin-coating colloidal solutions containing iron nitrate, polyethylene glycol （PEG） and absolute ethanol. The effects of various spin-coating conditions were investigated. The findings showed that the size of the iron particles was governed by the composition of the colloidal solution used and that a high angular speed was responsible for the formation of a thin colloidal film.The effect of angular acceleration on the size and distribution of the iron particles were found to be insignificant. It was observed that a longer spin-coating duration provoked the agglomeration of iron particles, leading to the formation of large particles. We also showed that single-walled carbon nanotubes could be grown from the smallest iron catalyst nanoparticles after the chemical vapor deposition of methane.

Phosphorus induced activity-enhancement of Fe-N-C catalysts for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Fe-N-C materials with atomically dispersed Fe–N_(4) sites could tolerate the poisoning of phosphate,is regarded as the most promising alternative to costly Pt-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction in high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(HT-PEMFCs).However,they still face the critical issue of insufficient activity in phosphoric acid.Herein,we demonstrate a P-doping strategy to increase the activity of Fe-N-C catalyst via a feasible one-pot method.X-ray absorption spectroscopy and electron microscopy with atomic resolution indicated that the P atom is bonded with the N in Fe–N_(4) site through C atoms.The as prepared Fe-NCP catalyst shows a half-wave potential of 0.75 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE),0.1 M H_(3)PO_(4)),which is 60 and 40 mV higher than that of Fe-NC and commercial Pt/C catalysts,respectively.More importantly,the Fe-NCP catalyst could deliver a peak power density of 357 mW·cm^(−2)in a high temperature fuel cell(160℃),exceeding the non-noble-metal catalysts ever reported.The enhancement of activity is attributed to the increasing charge density and poisoning tolerance of Fe–N_(4) caused by neighboring P.This work not only promotes the practical application of Fe-N-C materials in HT-PEMFCs,but also provides a feasible P-doping method for regulating the structure of single atom site.

Collaborative R＆D between multicrystalline silicon ingots and battery efficiency improvement--effect of shadow area in multicrystalline silicon ingots on cell efficiency

We characterized strip-like shadows in cast multicrystalline silicon(mc-Si) ingots. Blocks and wafers were analyzed using scanning infrared microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry, and microwave photoconductivity decay technique. The effect on solar cell performance is discussed. The results show that the non-microcrystalline shadow region in Si ingots consists of precipitates of Fe, O, and C. The size of these Fe–O–C precipitates found at the shadow region is25 μm. Fe–O–C impurities can slightly reduce the minority carrier lifetime of the wafers while severely decrease in shunt resistance, leading to the increase in reverse current of the solar cells and degradation in cell efficiency.

A facile template approach for the synthesis of mesoporous Fe3C/Fe-N- doped carbon catalysts for efficient and durable oxygen reduction reaction

Facile synthetic approaches toward the development of efficient and durable nonprecious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） are very important for commercializing advanced electrochemical devices such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Here we report a novel template approach to synthesize mesoporous Fe-N-doped carbon catalysts encapsulated with Fe3C nanoparticles. In this approach, the layer-structured FeOCI was first used as a template for the synthesis of a three- dimensional polypyrrole （PPy） structure. During the removal of the FeOCI template, the Fe^3＋ can be absorbed by PPy and then converted into Fe3C nanoparticles and Fe-N-C sites during the pyrolyzing process. As a result, the as-prepared catalysts could exhibit superior electrocatalytic ORR performance to the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline solutions. Furthermore, the Zn-air battery assembled using the mesoporous carbon catalyst as the air electrode could surpass the commercial Pt/C catalyst in terms of the power density and energy density.