Eulerian Two-Fluid Modeling of Iron Oxide (FeO) Reduction and Gas Evolution on Graphite in Smelting Slag

A multiphase Eulerian two-fluid model was developed to simulate the reduction of FeO on a graphite surface immersed in a CaO-SiO 2 -FeO smelting slag. Three phases are considered: the primary slag melt, containing FeO as the sole reactive species; CO gas bubbles generated by the reduction reaction; and iron particles formed at the interface. The model incorporates gas generation, turbulent dispersion, and interfacial reactions within a two-dimensional axisymmetric computational domain. Although the slag is initially quiescent and the resulting weak flow appears laminar, a purely laminar assumption fails to reproduce the experimentally measured FeO consumption and CO evolution. The results show that bubble-induced turbulence is essential, as it significantly enhances mass transfer and interfacial reaction rates near the graphite surface. Model predictions were validated against experimental data.