Advanced Plasma Research for Clean Energy

Sustainability

Dr. Ram Mohan Pathak

I earned my B.Tech. (Hons.) degree in Chemical Engineering from Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Uttar Pradesh in 2015, followed by an M.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad in 2019. My academic journey included a noteworthy master's project conducted at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. Currently, I earned my Ph.D. degree at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. My research pursuits are centered around the fundamental exploration of non-thermal plasmas, hydrocarbon reforming, plasma assisted combustion, and the innovative design of plasma sources tailored for sustainable applications. This scientific journey reflects my commitment to advancing knowledge and contributing to the field of chemical engineering with a focus on sustainable technologies. Present time a Research Assocaite at Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.

Focus Areas of Dr. Ram's Research :

Cold PLASMA (Non-Thermal PLASMA) using Rotating Gliding Arc and Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor;
PLASMA based hydrocarbon reforming;
Hydrogen Production using cold PLASMA;
PLASMA assisted combustion (PAC);
Numerical Simulation for cold PLASMA;

Specialties: Electric and Optical Characterization, High-Speed Camera, Gas Chromatography, Chemical Kinetic Simulation.

Academic Achievements and Work History :

Research Associate at Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India [2025 -Till now].
PhD in Plasma Technology especially focus on hydrocarbon reforming for hydrogen production from Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India [2019-2025].
M. Tech in Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-ISM Dhanbad), Jharkhand, India [2017-2019].
M. Tech Minor Project at Indra Gandhi Centre for atomic research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India [2018].
B. Tech in Chemical Engineering, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Ghaziabad, India [2011-2015].

Notable Publications :

Ram Mohan Pathak, J. Ananthanarasimhan, and Lakshminarayana Rao, Chemical Kinetics Simulation of Hydrogen Generation in Rotating Gliding Arc Plasma, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 50, NO. 8, AUGUST 2022, https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2022.3188338.
Ram Mohan Pathak, Sounak Nandi and Lakshminarayana Rao, A Novel Lumped Parameter Approach Towards Understanding Rotating Gliding Arc, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2024.3383273.
Ram Mohan Pathak, Ananthanarasimhan J, Sounak Nandi, Chinmaya Ranjan Das and Lakshminarayana Rao, Investigating the Influence of Flow Regime on the Electrical Characteristics of Coaxial Cylindrical Dielectric BarrierDischarge Using Equivalent Circuit Modeling, Chemical Workbench Simulation, and Experimental Analysis, Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processes, 2025, 1-34, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-025-10545-4.
Ram Mohan Pathak, Ananthanarasimhan Jayanarasimhan, and Lakshminarayana Rao, Tar Destruction Using Non-Thermal Plasma Technology: A Critical Review, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/adb43c.
Ram Mohan Pathak and Lakshminarayana Rao, The Influence of Vortex Formation on the Collective Characteristics of Argon Plasma in a Rotating Gliding Arc Discharge, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2778, 2024, 012011, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2778/1/012011.
Ram Mohan Pathak and Lakshminarayana Rao, Improving Hydrogen Production in Plasma-Assisted, Bi-Reforming of Methane: Experimental Study in Rotating Gliding Arc Plasma Reactor, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2968, 012005, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2968/1/012005.
Ananthanarasimhan Jayanarasimhan, Ram Mohan Pathak and Lakshminarayana Rao, Tar formation in gasification systems: A holistic review of remediation approaches and removal methods, ACS Omega 2024, 9, 2, 2060-2079, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c04.
Ram Mohan Pathak, Chinmaya Ranjan Das and Lakshminarayana Rao, Chemical Kinetics Simulation of Toluene Dissociation with Diluted Nitrogen in a Rotating Gliding Arc Discharge: A Simulation Study, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2025.3562030.
Ram Mohan Pathak, and Lakshminarayana Rao, Effect of enhanced rotation on electrical optical and chemical properties in rotating gliding arc for nitrogen plasma, Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2025, https://doi.org/ 10.1002/ppap.70021.
Ram Mohan Pathak, Surendra Soni, Chinmaya Ranjan, Bhoopendra Pandey and Lakshminarayana Rao, Influence of flow regime on flame dynamics and emission characteristics of inverse diffusion flames in a Rotating Gliding Arc Reactor, Energy & Fuels, (Submitted)
Ram Mohan Pathak, Chinmaya Ranjan Das and Lakshminarayana Rao, Quantifying the influence of flow regime on selectivity and energy efficiency of hydrogen generation through biogas reforming in Rotating Gliding Arc Reactors, Energy Conversion and Management (Submitted)
Ram Mohan Pathak, Surendra Soni, Chinmaya Ranjan, Bhoopendra Pandey and Lakshminarayana Rao, Effect of Biogas composition on combustion characteristics of inverse diffusion flames in a Rotating Gliding Arc Reactor, (Manuscript Under Preparation)