A technology rooted in fundamental physics research is making its way to the emerging fusion energy market, offering safety solutions as companies develop pilot power plants designed to deliver clean energy to the electrical grid.
As part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), a type of public-private partnership, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has teamed with Canary Instruments to bring a lab-developed radiation sensing system to the fusion industry. The partnership grew out of a DOE initiative, called the Boost Platform, that connects entrepreneurs and national labs to solve some of today's most pressing energy and infrastructure challenges.
"We have an excited and eager partner who wants to dig in and do the hard work of identifying markets and building a business around our intellectual property," said Marla Schuchman, Jefferson Lab's Chief Innovation Officer and leader of the Research and Technology Partnerships Office. "Ultimately, the goal of our innovation efforts is to make sure impactful technologies find their way out of the lab so they can improve society and provide economic benefit to the United States."
Born From Physics
Patented by Jefferson Lab inventors Jack McKisson, Brian Kross and John McKisson, the Subsurface Continuous Radioisotope Environmental Monitor is designed to ensure groundwater near future fusion facilities remains free of radioactive materials, such as tritium (a rare isotope of hydrogen). The device is based on light-emitting fibers, called scintillators, and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs).
SiPMs convert photons into electric signals. They were first deployed at Jefferson Lab in the early 2000s for nuclear physics experiments with the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), a DOE Office of Science user facility supporting the research of more than 1,700 physicists worldwide. The components were crucial to the Gluonic Excitations (GlueX) detector, built as part of CEBAF's upgrade to 12 GeV (12 billion electron volts).
"Jefferson Lab was the first large-scale user of SiPMs on the planet," said Kross, a principal technician in the lab's Detector Development Group. "They're a type of light sensor, but the reason we needed these for experiments is because they can operate in magnetic fields."
When beta particles (a form of radiation) interact with the fibers, the resulting photons travel to SiPMs. Readouts then collect signals, which can be counted and analyzed. Conceptually, the system is simple. But packaging and readout for detection in a subsurface environment are well addressed.
"The SiPM makes a good detector for this application," said Jack McKisson, an electronics engineer who works alongside his son, John, and Kross. "It's got a good match of the spectral sensitivity to the emission from the fiber. It only takes a low voltage and provides a much bigger signal in a tiny package. These are all characteristics that fit the requirements for a subsurface monitoring system that conventional photomultiplier tubes could not provide."
Before developing the subsurface monitor, Kross and the McKissons explored other use cases for SiPMs outside of nuclear physics. One of their first studies was in medical applications, specifically guiding breast cancer surgery. The tech later was investigated for uses in plant biology studies for imaging root systems.
"We really do a whole spread of things in the Detector Development Group," said John McKisson, a computer engineer. "The CRADA mechanism is great because we get to partner with many types of institutions, hospitals, universities and businesses. Some of those have turned into valuable projects, so this one is very exciting."
Meet Canary Instruments
Canary Instruments is a Maryland-based startup that grew out of the Boost Platform, a DOE Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) program led by Sandia National Laboratories and hosted by industry partner FedTech. Specifically formed to license Jefferson Lab's subsurface monitor, the company is led by Walter Xu and Adil Ahmed.
Xu is a mechanical and design engineer with extensive experience in scaling technologies through research and development. Ahmed is an attorney with a deep background in the regulatory environments of hazardous materials and energy infrastructure projects.
The two linked up because of their shared interest in the subsurface monitor, and their backgrounds made them excellent fits for bringing it to market. They went on to pitch the device to a panel of business and tech experts during a Boost showcase event.
"Stakeholders rightly expect fusion energy to be a net positive on every front," Ahmed said. "This net plus isn't just for the financial viability of the industry. It's for the surrounding communities who depend on the technology to succeed and expect their environment and water supplies to be protected in the process. We believe we are building something that bridges the trust gap between industry and local communities."
Xu and Ahmed are working closely with Jefferson Lab researchers as they refine the device's electronics and readout systems, perform baseline testing and develop prototypes. The pair is also working on customer discovery and partnerships that will help bring the tech to market.
"This CRADA allows us to continue working with Jefferson Lab and tap into that relationship to codevelop the best product possible," Xu said. "Having access to Jefferson Lab's expertise, facilities, radiation control team and available materials is really massive as far our first steps as a young company."
Giving Businesses a Boost
The Boost Platform launched in 2023 with support of the OTC's Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF). The startup studio's goal is to build an innovation ecosystem that brings promising, lab-created technologies to commercial markets.
Boost offers business and mentoring resources to innovators and entrepreneurs. Its annual cohorts and showcase events link and demonstrate an array of technologies. Canary Instruments' CRADA with Jefferson Lab puts that idea into practice.
"Taking a technology, building a strong team and successfully launching a company in 16 weeks is an impressive accomplishment," said Kelli Howie, Business Development Manager at Sandia and the Boost Platform's project manager. "This CRADA reflects Boost's broader goal of helping move DOE lab-developed technologies into the marketplace, where they can address critical energy and infrastructure needs."
As a Boost participant, Jefferson Lab shares that goal.
"We're doing research with the potential to get it out to the market," said David Perkins, innovation and commercialization program manager at Jefferson Lab. "What Canary Instruments and Jefferson Lab have put together here is a real highlight of tech transfer at work."