Coalfield fires are considered a global crisis that contributes significantly to environmental destruction and loss of coal resources and poses a serious threat to human safety and health. In this paper, research related to the initiation, development, and evolution of coalfield fires is reviewed. The existing detection and control techniques of coalfield fires are also reviewed. Traditional firefighting is associated with waste of resources, potential risks of recrudescence, potential safety hazards, extensive and expensive engineering works, and power shortages. Recently, coalfield fires have been recognized as having significant potential for energy conservation and heat energy recovery. Thermoelectric power generation is regarded as a suitable technology for the utilization of heat from coalfield fires. The extraction of heat from coalfield fires can also control coalfield fires and prevent reignition leading to combustion. Technologies for absorbing heat from burning coal and overlying rocks are also analyzed. In addition, the control mode of “three-region linkage” is proposed to improve firefighting efficiency. Integrating heat energy recovery with firefighting is an innovative method to control coalfield fires.

Effects of calcium compounds on the carbothermic reduction of vanadium titanomagnetite concentrate (VTC) were investigated. It was found that calcium compounds had great effects on the metallization rate of the reduction product, the order of the metallization rate of reduction product being CaCO₃ > no additive > CaSO₄ > CaCl₂, which indicated that the addition of CaCO₃ was more conducive to promoting the reduction of iron than other calcium compounds. Gas analysis showed that there were mainly two processes in the carbothermic reduction of VTC, a solid–solid and a solid–gas reaction. The concentrations of CO and CO₂ were highest when CaCO₃ was added, while that in a roasting system decreased the most when CaCl₂ was added. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that calcium compounds could change the reduction process of ilmenite in VTC. The phase compositions of the reduction products were changed from metallic iron (Fe) and anosovite (FeTi₂O₅) to metallic iron (Fe) and perovekite (CaTiO₃) when calcium compounds were added. Additionally, CaSO₄ and CaCl₂ could significantly promote the growth of metallic iron particles, though the existence of Fe-bearing Mg₂TiO₄ in reduction products was not conducive to the reduction of iron. The formation of FeS would further hinder the reduction of iron after adding CaSO₄.

A study on the melting and viscosity properties of the chromium-containing high-titanium melting slag (CaO–SiO₂–MgO–Al₂O₃–TiO₂–Cr₂O₃) with TiO₂ contents ranging from 38.63wt% to 42.63wt% was conducted. The melting properties were investigated with a melting-point apparatus, and viscosity was measured using the rotating cylinder method. The FactSage 7.1 software and X-ray diffraction, in combination with scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), were used to characterize the phase equilibrium and microstructure of chromium-containing high-titanium melting slags. The results indicated that an increase in the TiO₂ content led to a decrease in the viscosity of the chromium-containing high-titanium melting slag. In addition, the softening temperature, hemispheric temperature, and flowing temperature decreased with increasing TiO₂ content. The amount of crystallized anosovite and sphene phases gradually increased with increasing TiO₂ content, whereas the amount of perovskite phase decreased. SEM observations revealed that the distribution of the anosovite phase was dominantly influenced by TiO₂.

Aiming at the problem of negative segregation under a bloom surface, a coupling macrosegregation model considering electromagnetic field, flow, heat, and solute transport was established based on the volume average method to study the effect of in-mold electromagnetic stirring (M-EMS) on the negative segregation under the bloom surface. In the model, the influence of dendrite structure on the flow and solute transport was described by the change of permeability. The model was validated by the magnetic induction intensity of M-EMS and carbon segregation experiment. The results show that the solute C in the solidified shell in the turbulent zone of the bloom undergoes two negative segregations, whereby the first is caused by nozzle jet, and the second by the M-EMS. The severities of the negative segregation caused by M-EMS at different currents and frequencies are also different, and the larger the current is, or the smaller the frequency is, the more serious will be the negative segregation. With the M-EMS, the solute C distribution in the liquid phase of the bloom is more uniform, but the mass fraction of C in the liquid phase is higher than that without M-EMS.

The properties of MnO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂-based plasticized inclusion are likely to change during soaking  process due to its low melting point. In this study, the evolution of the MnO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂-based inclusion of 18wt%Cr‒8wt%Ni stainless steel under isothermal soaking process at 1250°C for different times was investigated by laboratory-scale experiments and thermodynamic analysis. The results showed that the inclusion population density increased at the first stage and then decreased while their average size first decreased and then increased. In addition, almost no Cr₂O₃-concentrated regions existed within the inclusion before soaking, but more and more Cr₂O₃ precipitates were formed during soaking. Furthermore, the plasticity of the inclusion deteriorated due to a decrease in the amount of liquid phase and an increase in the high-melting-point-phase MnO–Cr₂O₃ spinel after the soaking process. In-situ observations by high-temperature confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) confirmed that liquid phases were produced in the inclusions and the inclusions grew rather quickly during the soaking process. Both the experimental results and thermodynamic analysis conclude that there are three routes for inclusion evolution during the soaking process. In particular, Ostwald ripening plays an important role in the inclusion evolution, i.e., MnO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂-based inclusions grow by absorbing the newly precipitated smaller-size MnO–Cr₂O₃ inclusions.

Dual-phase accelerated cooling (DPAC) was applied to X80 pipeline steel to obtain its microstructure with different amounts of bainite and ferrite. The microstructure, hardness, and polarization behaviors of the steel, cooled to different temperatures, were investigated. Results showed that, with decreasing cooling temperature, the amount of polygon ferrite (PF) increased while that of acicular ferrite (AF) decreased. The amount of bainite correspondingly decreased, except when cooled to 760°C. Moreover, the grain size of ferrite increased. The corrosion behaviors of different phases were distinct. Martensite/austenite (M/A) islands presented at the grain boundary of the PF phase caused small pits. Numerous micro-corrosion cells were formed in the AF and bainite phases, where micropores were prone to form. X80 pipeline steel cooled to 700°C had the best corrosion resistance in the simulated seawater. The decreased amount of the PF phase reduced the area of cathode, resulting in slight corrosion. About 40vol% of the bainite phase provided strength while the PF phase provided adequate ductility to the X80 steel. It was concluded that the appropriate cooling temperature was 700°C for ideal corrosion resistance and mechanical properties.

To ensure the quality of heavy plate products as determined by ultrasonic inspection, it is necessary to effectively control defects such as cracks and shrinkage cavities in heavy plates. Generally, some defects such as large size cracks exist due to insufficient deformation in the center of traditionally rolled plates. Compared with the traditional rolling process, gradient temperature rolling (GTR) process can effectively increase deformation inside heavy plates. In this study, the effect of GTR on crack healing was analyzed through a comparison experiment with the uniform temperature rolling (UTR). The results show that the GTR process could increase the plastic strain inside the heavy plate and effectively promote the healing process of the preset cracks. The degrees of crack healing at the center and quarter thickness position of the steel plate via GTR were greater than twice those of the plate via UTR. The GTR process can significantly reduce the internal defects of heavy plates and improve the defect detection level of heavy plate products. Also, The GTR process results in the formation of new crystal grains in the crack region, which is crucial to crack healing.

The machine-learning approach was investigated to predict the mechanical properties of Cu–Al alloys manufactured using the powder metallurgy technique to increase the rate of fabrication and characterization of new materials and provide physical insights into their properties. Six algorithms were used to construct the prediction models, with chemical composition and porosity of the compacts chosen as the descriptors. The results show that the sequential minimal optimization algorithm for support vector regression with a puk kernel (SMOreg/puk) model demonstrated the best prediction ability. Specifically, its predictions exhibited the highest correlation coefficient and lowest error among the predictions of the six models. The SMOreg/puk model was subsequently applied to predict the tensile strength and hardness of Cu–Al alloys and provide guidance for composition design to achieve the expected values. With the guidance of the SMOreg/puk model, Cu–12Al–6Ni alloy with a tensile strength (390 MPa) and hardness (HB 139) that reached the expected values was developed.

The effect of rolling temperature on both two- and single-phase regions and annealing in a temperature range of 700–950°C on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti‒5Al‒4V‒2Fe‒1Mo alloy was investigated. The results indicated that the best balance of strength and ductility is obtained by rolling in the two-phase region due to the globularization of the alpha phase and increase in its volume fraction. After rolling in the two-phase region, the ductility of the specimens annealed at 700 to 800°C increased because of the finer size and globularized alpha phase, while the reduction in strength was attributed to a decrease in the alpha phase volume fraction. However, at 950°C, the strength increased and ductility dropped by the formation of acicular alpha phase due to an increase in the phase boundary area. Annealing and aging after rolling in the beta-phase region increased the strength and decreased the ductility, which is attributed to the formation of a secondary alpha phase. A combination of favorable yield strength (1113 MPa) and elongation (13.3%) was obtained through rolling at 850°C followed by annealing at 750°C and aging at 570°C.

Al composites are of interest due to their appropriate ratio of strength to weight. In our research, an Al/Co₃O₄ nanocomposite was generated using a sintering technique. The powders of Al with various Co₃O₄ nanoparticle contents (0wt%, 0.5wt%, 1.0wt%, 1.5wt%, 2.0wt%, and 2.5wt%) were first blended using planetary milling for 30 min, and compressed in a cylindrical steel mold with a diameter of 1 cm and a height of 5 cm at a pressure of 80 MPa. The samples were evaluated with X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Vickers hardness, and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Although the crystallite size of the Al particles remained constant at 7–10 nm, the accumulation of nanoparticles in the Al particle interspace increased the structural tensile strain from 0.0045 to 0.0063, the hardness from HV 28 to HV 52 and the magnetic saturation from 0.044 to 0.404 emu/g with an increase in Co₃O₄ nanoparticle content from 0wt% to 2.5wt%.

To improve the electrochemical kinetics of Nd–Mg–Ni alloy electrodes, the alloy surface was modified with highly conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via a chemical reduction process. Results indicated that rGO sheets uniformly coated on the alloy surface, yielding a three-dimensional network layer. The coated surfaces contained numerous hydrophilic functional groups, leading to better wettability of the alloy in aqueous alkaline media. This, in turn, increased the concentration of electro-active species at the interface between the electrode and the electrolyte, improving the electrochemical kinetics and the rate discharge of the electrodes. The high rate dischargeability at 1500 mA·g^–1 increased from 53.2% to 83.9% after modification. In addition, the modification layer remained stable and introduced a dense metal oxide layer to the alloy surface after a long cycling process. Therefore, the protective layer prevented the discharge capacity from quickly decreasing and improved cycling stability.

The present paper deals with the investigation of microstructure and high-temperature hot corrosion behavior of high-velocity oxy fuel (HVOF)-produced coatings. Two powder coating compositions, namely, Ni22Cr10Al1Y alloy powder and Ni22Cr10Al1Y (80wt%; micro-sized)–silicon carbide (SiC) (20wt%; nano (N)) powder, were deposited on a T-22 boiler tube steel. The hot corrosion behavior of bare and coated steels was tested at 900°C for 50 cycles in Na₂SO₄–60wt%V₂O₅ molten-salt environment. The kinetics of corrosion was established with weight change measurements after each cycle. The microporosity and microhardness of the as-coated samples have been reported. The X-ray diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray mapping characterization techniques have been utilized for structural analysis of the as-coated and hot-corroded samples. The results showed that both coatings were deposited with a porosity less than 2%. Both coated samples revealed the development of harder surfaces than the substrate. During hot corrosion testing, the bare T22 steel showed an accelerated corrosion in comparison with its coated counterparts. The HVOF-sprayed coatings were befitted effectively by maintaining their adherence during testing. The Ni22Cr10Al1Y–20wt%SiC (N) composite coating was more effective than the Ni–22Cr–10Al–1Y coating against corrosion in the high-temperature fluxing process.