RADOM Corporation (Pewaukee, Wisconsin) has successfully completed the engineering and procurement stages in the development of an electrodeless, high efficiency 1 MW thermal plasma torch for use in industrial process applications in cement and mineral processing, steel production and alternative fuel conversion.
Through a partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, RADOM will be demonstrating performance metrics and technological efficacy in August, 2026.
Plasma torches are an environmentally clean and economically attractive replacement for fossil-fuel burners in Electric Arc Calciners (EAC), furnaces, gasifiers, and kilns providing more efficient and cleaner process conditions than coal-fired combustion systems.
The CeraWave™ PowerHouse and Plasma Torch solve several operational issues in coal, fossil fuels, and other plasma-based (DC/RF/Microwave) thermal systems:
- Electrodeless design minimises process upsets, downtime and is compatible with oxidative atmospheres.
- Low losses in the ceramic rings result in ultra-high electro-thermal efficiency and minimal cooling water requirements.
- The lower plasma temperature and wider plasma plume protects refractory from premature degradation.
- Large diameter of the plasma tube improves tolerance to working gas impurities: dirty streams, solids, no plugging.
- Simplified plasma ignition is due to the resonant nature of the CeraWave dielectric ring.
- Larger turndown ratio than traditional combustion and DC torch systems with high electro-thermal efficiency maintained down to 20% of rated power.
- Quick startup/shutdown and instantaneous plasma temperature minimise process ramp rates.
RADOM CEO Jovan Jevtic said that the Argonne National Laboratory partnership is an important milestone for the project development, “The CeraWave™ PowerHouse and Plasma Torch provides a process flexible solution to mineral and steel processing facilities which are actively developing solutions to plan for imbalances between fuel supply and demand by investing in alternative direct and indirect fired calcination technologies, and use of plasma generated syngas as a cost comparable replacement for coal.”