Kick-Off of COMET project FL4E&R
Freeze-Lining Aided Pyrometallurgy for Carbon-Free Metal Extraction and Recycling
On Thursday, 4 December, the Technical University of Leoben hosted the official kick-off meeting of the international research project FL4E&R – Freeze-Lining Aided Pyrometallurgy for Carbon-Free Metal Extraction and Recycling. The event marked the start of an ambitious initiative dedicated to advancing the scientific and technological understanding of freeze lining formation in high-temperature pyrometallurgical furnaces. This phenomenon, essential for process stability, refractory protection, and improved energy efficiency, remains one of the key technical challenges in modern furnace operation.
The FL4E&R project represents a major collaborative effort that integrates controlled laboratory experiments, pilot-scale trials (in Direct Reduced Iron – Electric Smelting Furnace (DRI-ESF) and slag fuming processes), and advanced computational modeling. The consortium is led by the academic partner at the Chair of Simulation and Modeling Metallurgical Processes (SMMP) in Leoben, working in close cooperation with academic partner KU Leuven and industrial partners RHI Magnesita, Aurubis Beerse, and Primetals Technologies.
The knowledge gained through this initiative is expected to be a major step forward in supporting the transition toward carbon-free metal extraction using the DRI-ESF route and to enhance sustainable recycling through optimized electrically-powered slag fuming operations. The successful kick-off meeting underscores the consortium’s shared vision and establishes a strong foundation for the collaborative work ahead, aligning closely with the university’s commitment to forward-looking research in energy and environmental technologies.
ESA Exploration Science Workshop
26-28 November 2024 in Warsaw, Poland
Handover of office
On Friday, March 1st, em. Univ. Prof. habil. Dr. rer.nat. Andreas LUDWIG officially handed over the chair to his successor, Univ.-Prof. habil. Dr. Abdellah KHARICHA.
The ESA - Exhibition continues
From 12.01.2024 until 30.01.2024 in "KulturQuartier" in Leoben.
ESA - Exhibition November 2023 @ MUL
New µg-campaign onboard the International Space Station (ISS)
Layered peritectic solidification experiments will be performed onboard the ISS from October 4 to 17. These experiments will focus on investigating the dynamic behavior of the solid-liquid interface within the organic model system TRIS-NPG.
Solidification experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) have pushed the boundaries of materials science, offering distinctive perspectives into the fundamental mechanisms of layered peritectic solidification patterns, like bands and peritectic coupled growth. Such pattern can occur for process conditions where both phases (pro-peritectic and peritectic) solidify planar. To do so, the organic transparent components TRIS and NPG are used as a model system since both components show a transparent plastic crystal in their high temperature phases. This, and a peritectic plateau, enables the in-situ observation of peritectic solidification patterns since plastic crystals solidify metal like. Within the microgravity confines of the ISS, the Chair for Modeling and Simulation of Metallurgical Processes has the unprecedented opportunity to conduct experiments with the ESA-constructed TRANSPARENT ALLOYS device, which in fact is nothing more but a Bridgman-furnace. Such experiments would be unfeasible on Earth due to the absence of gravitational influences on the solidification process onboard the ISS. This distinctive microgravity setting promises to yield invaluable data, paving the way for advancements in materials science and diverse industrial applications, ultimately benefiting both the realm of science and society as a whole.