Alex P. Rutberg, PhD, Chief Systems Engineer

Mr. Rutberg is an expert in the design, assembly and testing of plasmatrons for solid and liquid waste gasification and metal recovery. He is a co-inventor of “Multi-phase Alternating Current Plasma Generator” (U.S. patent No. 7,135,653) and a co-inventor of “Water Decontamination Apparatus and Method” (U.S. patent No. 7,374,693) and has filed for a U.S. patent on  “AC High-Voltage Multi-Phase Plasma Generator with Annular Hollow Electrodes.

He has six technical papers to his credit, including coauthoring “Some Aspects of Development and Creation of Plasma Technology for Solid Waste Gasification,” presented at the HTTP9 High Technology Plasma Processes Symposium (May27-June 4, 2006) in St. Petersburg, Russia.

From 1993 to 1999, he was a researcher and then Deputy Chief of Plasma Testing Facility at the Institute of Electrophysics and Electrical Power Engineering, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia (the “Institute”). He installed an experimental facility and operated high power AC plasma generators. He prepared and performed the complex gas and electrodynamics measurements and numerical data analysis required to optimize the geometry of the plasma generator chamber. This unit was successfully used for the destruction of hazardous chemicals. The Institute was founded by his father, Dr. Philip G. Rutberg, the Director of the Institute, and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. All AC plasma torch technology in use worldwide today is based on early development work done by Dr. Rutberg at the Institute.

From 1999 to 2001 he was employed at Scientific Utilization Inc., in Huntsville, AL, where he installed and tested an AC plasmatron for a US Customs drug destruction installation, resulting in certification of the unit by US Customs. He also built a small plasma test reactor for metal recovery demonstrations. In addition, he designed a discharge chamber and wire feed mechanism for pulse-powered water disinfection for which he has applied for the patent mentioned previously.

From 2001 to 2003 he was responsible for testing and analysis of an AC Plasma hazardous solvent gasification system at PEAT International Inc., Huntsville, AL. He led the project to transform this unit from processing solid to liquid waste. It was relocated to Kaoshiung City, Taiwan where it successfully completed an initial operational campaign, processing a wide range of waste solvents, primarily from the semiconductor industry.

As a consultant in 2004, he led the successful acceptance test of the plasma thermal destruction and recovery waste facility located at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City, Taiwan.  This is the first commercial plasma waste gasification facility in Taiwan.  It is designed to process three metric tons per day of biomedical waste and fly ash.

BS, Mechanical Science Engineering, St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

MS, Mechanical Science Engineering, St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

PhD, Plasma Physics, St. Petersburg State Polytechnics University, St. Petersburg, Russia