Phoenix (nuclear technology company)

Phoenix, formerly known as Phoenix Nuclear Labs, is a company specializing in neutron generator technology located in Monona, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 2005, the company develops nuclear and particle accelerator technologies for application in medicine, defense and energy. Phoenix has held contracts with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. Phoenix developed a proprietary gas target neutron generator technology and has designed and built a number of particle accelerator-related technologies.

Phoenix Nuclear Labs was founded in 2005 by Dr. Gregory Piefer after he completed his PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Ross Radel, who joined the company in 2010, became the company president in July 2011. Retired Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt is on the company's scientific advisory board.

In February 2014, Phoenix Nuclear Labs signed its first commercial contract to build a thermal neutron generation system for Ultra Electronics' Nuclear Control Systems, a British company that specializes in defense and security, transport and energy.

In April 2014, Phoenix Nuclear Labs was awarded $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to design a high-current negative hydrogen ion source under the SBIR Phase II project.

In August 2014, Phoenix Nuclear Labs and SHINE Medical Technologies successfully operated the second-generation neutron driver prototype for 24 consecutive hours with a 99% uptime. The test was said to be a key milestone towards the production of medical isotopes such as molybdenum-99 (parent isotope of the medically useful nuclear isomer ^99m
Tc). SHINE plans to start production at a facility in Janesville, WI in 2017.

In October 2014, Phoenix Nuclear Labs announced that it was awarded a $3 million contract by the U.S. Army to develop an advanced neutron radiography imaging system. The second-generation version will be sent to Picatinny Arsenal, a military facility in New Jersey, as an upgrade to one they sent in 2013.

In October 2012, Phoenix Nuclear Labs received two contracts from the U.S. Army. The first contract was a $879,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant to help the company construct a high-flux neutron generator for the purpose of sensing improvised explosive devices (IED). The second contract was a $100,000 SBIR Phase I grant to design a neutron source for White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This source would be used to test the radiation resistance of military equipment and equipment to be exposed to radiation in space as an alternative to current testing methods that use highly enriched uranium. In May 2012, the company had also raised funds to develop the neutron generator.

In 2014, Phoenix Nuclear Labs also announced a successful preliminary test on the detection of 'undetectable explosives', by sensing the explosives materials instead of metal components.