Modeling of RTFT water atomization steel powder production process

水雾化生产金属粉末是一种成熟的工艺，可用于生产各种粒度的金属粉末。为了以较低的生产成本获得高质量的雾化粉末，必须仔细控制粉末的粒度分布。力拓是优质钢铁和特种金属粉末的主要供应商之一。RTFT加拿大矿山的钛铁矿在其位于加拿大魁北克省Sorel-Tracy的冶金综合体中转化为高级产品。拟议的CRD研究计划将确定能够提高可销售产品产量的解决方案策略，目前可销售产品产量受到高达8%的超大产品分数(大于210微米的颗粒)的影响。将这一比例减少50%将导致大约。每年节省80万美元的生产成本。生产形貌更可控的颗粒的可能性预计将使新的金属粉末等级的开发成为可能，包括那些可能适用于新兴添加剂制造行业的等级。该项目将包括开发一个计算流体力学模型，涵盖与熔融金属流动、喷嘴和雾化容器几何形状、高压水射流和熔融金属流之间的相互作用以及金属颗粒形成有关的所有方面。这项研究将为改进奠定基础，这些改进不仅有利于加拿大，也有利于全球粉末金属行业在产品清洁度、质量和粒度控制方面。几名高素质的人员(HQP)将在项目过程中接受金属粉末生产领域的培训，他们最终将进入加拿大的粉末制造业或学术界**

The production of metal powders by water atomization is a well established process, which can be used to produce a wide range of particle sizes. A careful control of the particle size distribution is necessary, to atomize powders with a high quality and at a low production cost. Rio Tinto is one of the major suppliers of high-quality iron, steel and specialty metal powders. Ilmenite ore from RTFT's Canadian mines is transformed into advanced products at their metallurgical complex in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada. The proposed CRD research program will identify solution strategies enabling the increase of saleable product yield, which is currently impacted by up to 8% of oversize product fraction (particles larger than 210 microns). Reducing this fraction by 50% would result in approx. $0.8 million annual production cost savings.The possibility of producing particles with more controlled morphology is expected to enable the development of new metal powder grades, including potentially those suitable for the emerging additive manufacturing industry. The project will encompass the development of a computational fluid dynamics model covering all aspects related to molten metal flow, nozzles and atomization vessel geometry, interaction between the high-pressure water jets and the molten metal stream, and metal particles formation. The study will establish a basis for improvements that benefits not only the Canadian but also the global powder metal industry in terms of product cleanliness, quality and particle size control. Several highly qualified personnel (HQP) will be trained in the course of the project in the area of metal powder production, who will eventually enter the powder manufacturing industry or academia in Canada**