Viscosity and Thermal Behavior of Molten Slags
Summary
Molten slags are complex oxide melts formed during metallurgical operations, playing a pivotal role in refining, smelting and energy recovery processes. The viscosity of these slags governs mass and heat transfer, influencing the efficiency of slag–metal separation, heat utilisation in waste‐heat recovery units and control of emissions. Thermal behaviour, encompassing liquidus temperatures, crystallisation pathways and heat capacity, determines the operational window for industrial reactors and casting operations. A deep understanding of the interplay between chemical composition, structural polymerisation and temperature is essential for optimising slag design, reducing energy consumption and minimising environmental impact across ferrous and non‐ferrous industries.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have employed atomic‐scale simulations to estimate the viscosity of molten TiO₂–FeO–Na₂O slags for ilmenite smelting. Molecular dynamics techniques, validated by parallel experimental measurements, have elucidated how alkali addition lowers liquidus temperature and moderates the temperature dependence of viscosity. Structural analysis revealed a three‐dimensional network of TiO₆ octahedra whose connectivity shifts with FeO and Na₂O concentrations. These insights enable the design of energy‐efficient slag systems by tailoring flux compositions to balance flowability and thermal stability at smelting temperatures.
Viscosity and Thermal Behavior of Molten Slags publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in viscosity and thermal behavior of molten slags across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Viscosity: A measure of a fluid’s resistance to deformation or flow under shear stress.
Liquidus temperature: The lowest temperature at which a material is fully molten, above which crystals disappear.
Polymeric structural units: Network‐forming tetrahedral or octahedral oxy‐anion groups linked by shared oxygen atoms.
Non‐bridging oxygen: An oxygen atom bonded to only one network‐forming cation, indicating network depolymerisation.
Activation energy of flow: The energy barrier that must be overcome for viscous motion in a molten slag.
References
- Estimation of TiO2-FeO-Na2O slag viscosity through molecular dynamics simulations for an energy efficient ilmenite smelting process. Scientific Reports (2019).
- Viscous behavior of high-FetO-bearing slag systems in relation to their polymeric structural units. Journal of Materials Research and Technology (2021).
- Viscosity of BOF Slag. Metals (2020).
- Phase Equilibrium Study of the CaO-SiO2-MgO-Al2O3-TiO2 System at 1300°C and 1400°C in Air. JOM (2020).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.