Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by johndough 658 days ago
I'd like to point out row 3 of the excellent Fig. 6 where the authors evaluate the risk of fine iron powder being exposed to air, which heats up to about 600°C due to oxidation. https://pubs.rsc.org/image/article/2024/se/d3se01228j/d3se01...
2 comments

Fires are one of the risks of so-called Direct Reduced Iron. The product has high surface area which leads to fast oxidation.

https://www.metallics.org/dri.html

> Being a highly reduced material, DRI has a tendency to re-oxidise, an exothermic reaction. Thus, without appropriate precautions being taken in its handling, transport and storage, there is a risk of self-heating and fires. The International Maritime Organisation's International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code classifies DRI - Direct Reduced Iron (B) - as Group B (cargo with chemical hazard) and class MHB (material hazardous only in bulk) and requires that DRI be shipped under an inert atmosphere, usually nitrogen.

It would be nice if the iron could be in an alloy that, in addition to being oxidized/reduced, could further absorb hydrogen when in the reduced state. FeTi absorbs hydrogen, but I don't think the titanium would withstand repeated oxidation/reduction cycles. The Ti would go to the +4 oxidation state and stay there.

I believe most Swiss scientific investigations are legally required to involve Cervelat
This is one of the most absurd comment I've read in a while. I love it, thank you.

Fwiw, cervelat is also very common in France, I grew up eating that stuff. Maybe that's why I liked the article so much. There's something to dig up there

What is it?
The national sausage of Switzerland:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervelat