The operating costs for a typical 2 MW fuel oil burner have been compared with a 2
MW air plasma torch by Pyrogenesis [33]. As can be seen in the table 2.1 below, there
is a significant potential for reduction of operating costs. A cost reduction of around
23% is achieved in this example. Cost reductions become even higher when considering
applications such as iron ore pelletization, cement kilns and metallic ore roasters since
these type of plants can have a large number of burners.
Table 2.1: Annual operating costs for a 2 MW fuel oil burner and air plasma torch.
Costs Fuel oil burner Plasma torch
Fuel oil cost ($ 0.5/l) $ 923 000 $ 0
Electricity cost ($ 0.03/kWh) $ 9000 $ 600 000
Replacement parts cost $ 0 $ 38 000
Total cost $ 932 000 $ 638 000
Replacing fossil fuels with electricity represents a great potential to reduce greenhouse gas