Plasma technology in support of a growing nuclear power industry

Plasma pyrolysis / vitrification, otherwise known as PPV, is a thermal waste treatment process that offers a wide variety of advantages to owner/operators of modern waste disposal and WTE facilities. Operating cost, or perceived operating cost has so far been a major issue preventing plasma from gaining wide-spread acceptance in world markets of waste disposal. The interesting thing about plasma is the paradox of its current state in its development as a strong industry. On one hand, plasma has proven itself to be the most adaptable, easiest controlled thermal process, with the least emissions, and the safest solid by-product (slag). Plasma offers the ideal characteristics for process control of any waste, yet awaits real investment . How can this be happening? Several factors have created the current situation. First, governments and citizens have not demanded that nuclear facilities have complete and self-contained, on-site waste treatment systems in place to reduce the need for regional facilities and trucking. Second, organizations with a real need like nuclear power plant operators have found it difficult to make contact with reliable vendors, capable of providing high quality plasma recycling systems. Third, inferior equipment vendors have successfully sold equipment not designed for production waste treatment, but rather lab-scale systems with too few features to demonstrate reliable waste treatment with confidence. Many stories of poorly working equipment that was expensive has left big business with bad taste regarding plasma, except the steel industry, and the Japanese ash vitrification industry, where plasma does the difficult work every day. During the 1990s through today in 2005, the few plasma vendors have experienced almost no market demand for their products. In contrast, ever larger ash vitrification plants have been built recently in Japan and plasma torches are being applied routinely in the 1-3 mw range to production-scale facilities. Based on what has been demonstrated so far publicly, there is very little evidence to convince buyers that plasma is the best way to handle difficult waste problems. MultiTec plasma LLC brings years of plasma equipment and process experience facing difficult waste disposal issues. MultiTec gas designed a progressive waste treatment model for review by the nuclear power industry