Abstract: The meltdown behaviors and mutual interactions among multiple direct reduced iron (DRI) pellets immersed in a molten steel bath were investigated, with the aim of improving melting efficiency and reducing energy consumption. A 3D transient model was developed by coupling the volume of fluid approach with the enthalpy-porosity method to resolve heat transfer and solid-liquid phase change of DRI after immersion. Model credibility was assessed using the predicted complete melting time of the solid phase. The results showed that increasing inter-particle spacing and preheating tem-perature noticeably shortens the melting time: When the spacing increases from 2 to 10 mm, the complete melting time decreases by 19.83%, and raising the preheating temperature from 300 to 1100 K reduces it by 43.00%. Decreasing particle size and increasing voidage in multi-particle DRI system further accelerate melting. Empirical correlations were estab-lished between the complete melting time and four key parameters, i.e., inter-particle spacing, preheating temperature, particle size, and voidage. The melting time exhibits strong negative correlations with spacing and preheating temperature and an exponential positive correlation with particle size; when the voidage exceeds 0.5, its influence becomes negligible. These relationships provide practical guidance for selecting DRI parameters in industrial electric arc furnace operations to enhance melting efficiency and lower energy demand.