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Hand-Held Sensor for Carbon Dioxide

Bridger Photonics
www.bridgerphotonics.com

Environmental Problem
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
regulates carbon dioxide (C02) emissions under
the Federal Clean Air Act. A proposed rule by the
EPA would limit C02 emissions from new fossil
fuel-fired power plants. C02 is one of the greenhouse
gases that contributes to climate change. Studies have
shown that C02 concentrations are at unprecedented
levels as a result of human activity and that it is very
likely that those elevated levels are responsible for an
increase in average temperatures and other climate
changes. The potential effects of rising atmospheric
concentrations of greenhouse gases include increased
drought, more heavy downpours and flooding, more
frequent and intense heat waves and wildfires, a steeper
rise in sea levels, and harm to water resources,
agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems.

Fossil fuel combustion is the primary source of C02
pollution, with electricity generation and vehicle
exhaust accounting for the majority of these
emissions. EPA regulations could impact C02
emissions from industrial smokestacks, carbon
sequestration sites and other sources. Existing
technologies require sampling emitted gases with
point-source gas-intake measurement devices,
which is a time-intensive and tedious process.

This makes it difficult for regulators to identify or
quantify C02 pollution sources. Current laser-remote
sensors and other standoff measurement instruments do
not provide spatial identification of the pollution source
and cannot measure and pinpoint the location of elevated
C02 concentrations, such as plumes from a smokestack
or vent.

SBIR Technology Solution
With support from EPA's Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) Program, Bridger Photonics
developed a mid-infrared laser for use in a remote
C02 sensor with high-range resolution for onsite
C02 monitoring and spatial mapping from a
distance. The company has commercialized the
unique laser source first as a stand-alone product
as it has broad ranging applications in other fields,
with a full C02gas sensor in development. The
sensor will be used to spatially scan C02
sequestration or industrial sites for leaks and to
provide precise, 3-dimensional (3-D) coordinate
mappings of emissions sources. The C02
concentration of a smokestack plume will be determined
by directing a laser beam at the distant
plume. Based on light detection and ranging
(LIDAR) technology, the device will probe C02
plumes and measure the emitted C02
concentration, the distance to the source and the
spatial extent of the plume. C02 absorbs light in
the infrared part of the spectrum, acting as a
greenhouse gas by trapping the sun's energy and
heating up the atmosphere. Bridger Photonics'
laser sends out a pulse of light at the wavelength
absorbed by C02, and some of that light is
absorbed by the C02. A small amount of that light
comes scattering back to a receiver. By measuring
the amount of returning light and determining the
amount of light absorbed, the concentration of
C02 that would absorb that amount of light can
be calculated.

June 2012

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Producing a single optical output wavelength from
the laser is critical in mid-infrared remote sensing.
The laser system uses a novel technique to
measure absorption through atmosphere,
overcoming the pulse-to-pulse energy fluctuations
that challenge sequential differential detection, to
provide precise, 3-D coordinate mapping of the
emission source. Bridger Photonics' tunable pulsed
lasers are capable of spatial mapping of
atmospheric molecular concentration with better
than 1 meter range resolution from greater than
100 meters away, and detection of molecular
concentrations of less than 100 parts per million.

A considerable advantage of Bridger Photonics'
mid-infrared laser is that, for the powerful pulses
it produces, it is extremely compact, with a form
factor of 8" x 7" x 4". Another benefit is that the
laser can enable remote gas concentration
measurements from more than 100 yards away
from the source. In addition, the laser system is air
cooled, its output energy is adjustable (internal
variable attenuator), it is less expensive than any
optical parametric oscillator on the market, and it
is robust for field applications.

Commercialization Success
The EPA's SBIR funding has helped Bridger
Photonics commercialize its laser, with the full
gas sensor to follow. The company has
developed and delivered two laser prototypes
and received orders for 12 production lasers
for tissue ablation applications. For this
application, Bridger Photonics has a product
supply agreement with Protea Biosciences to
support an advanced form of in vivo mass
spectrometry. The same laser, with some
altered components, will serve as the basis for
Bridger Photonics' C02 sensor and its other
laser-based sensor, which can be used to
uncover illicit methamphetamine laboratories
and was developed with support from the
National Science Foundation and the Montana
Board of Research and Commercialization

Technology. Bridger Photonics has rapidly
grown to become a world leader in three
closely related areas of advanced laser-based
technologies: precision distance measurement,
remote gas sensing and 3-D imaging.
Commercialization of its laser-based sensors
has boosted the company's annual revenues
from $110K to $2 million in 4.5 years..

Company History

Bridger Photonics was founded in 2006 by
three physicists to develop lasers and laser-based
measurement systems that identify
sources of pollution, improve manufacturing
quality and efficiency, and help in the fight
against illicit drug use. Located in Bozeman,

Montana, the company had 18 employees by
the end of 2011, and experienced a revenue
growth rate of nearly 1,800 percent from 2007
to 2010. The September 2011 issue of Inc.
magazine named Bridger Photonics among the Inc. 500
list of fastest growing private companies in
the United States and ranked it #1 in the engineering
sector. Bridger Photonics also was awarded the 2012
Tibbetts Award, which is presented to those small
businesses and individuals judged to exemplify the best
in the SBIR program. Bridger Photonics
has developed the highest resolution
distance measurement systems
available, and the only afford-
able, compact, mid-infrared,
high-energy pulsed laser for
gas detection.

U.S. EPA SBIR

SMALL BUSINESS
INNOVATION RESEARCH

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