Xin Liu

Xin Liu is a Doctoral Candidate at the Power & Flow group in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) under the supervision of Prof. Niels Deen and Dr. Yali Tang. She researches the reduction of combusted iron as part of the metal fuel cycle. Iron is considered an ideal candidate for metal fuel due to its high volumetric energy density and abundance features. Micron-sized iron particles can be ignited easily and release a large amount of energy, and their products (iron oxides) can be collected and reused after reduction back to pure iron (fuel). In this case, metal fuels (iron powder) are fully recyclable and, therefore, resource efficient. The understanding of the reduction mechanisms of iron oxide particles is important for the entire recycle process. In Liu’s research, the complex phenomena including hydrodynamics, heat transfer, chemical reaction, and agglomeration during the reduction of iron oxides in fluidized beds are investigated in detail using experimental and numerical approaches.