Research Progress on Numerical Simulation Methods for Metallurgical Fluidization

Numerical simulation has become a powerful and versatile toolkit for investigating gas–solid flow behavior in metallurgical fluidization processes. This review summarizes recent advances in the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based approaches, particularly the Eulerian–Eulerian and Eulerian–Lagrangian methods, within the field of metallurgical fluidization. It covers model development, particle and bubble dynamics, reactor flow field analysis, and structural optimization. The study demonstrates that numerical simulation plays a crucial role in elucidating fluidization mechanisms, optimizing process parameters, and guiding reactor design. For example, numerical simulation provides key quantitative insights, such as the enhancement of iron ore reduction rates by up to 40% with increased gas velocity and the optimization of reactor cone angles to 5–10° for improved stability, in the design of hydrogen-based iron oxide reduction reactors. However, this review identifies that current research is predominantly focused on iron ore reduction, while numerical studies on fluidized-bed smelting of non-ferrous metals, such as zinc, copper, and aluminum, remain relatively limited. Future efforts should aim to broaden the application of numerical simulation in non-ferrous metallurgy, develop efficient multi-scale coupled computational methods, and integrate artificial intelligence technologies to advance metallurgical fluidization toward greater efficiency, energy savings, and intelligent operation.