SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- REVOLUTIONARY TURBINE ACCELERATOR INLET ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
- Notice Date
- 12/10/2002
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
- ZIP Code
- 44135
- Solicitation Number
- 03-C3B-001
- Response Due
- 1/10/2003
- Archive Date
- 12/10/2003
- Point of Contact
- Gary A. Golinski, Contracting Officer, Phone (216) 433-2790, Fax (216) 433-2480, Email Gary.A.Golinski@grc.nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Gary A. Golinski
(Gary.A.Golinski@grc.nasa.gov)
- Description
- NASA/GRC hereby issues a combined synopsis/Request for Offer (RFO) for: 3rd Generation Access to Space Reusable Launch Vehicle Airbreathing Propulsion System Inlet Analysis and Design Introduction: Future reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) will use airbreathing propulsion to augment rocket propulsion systems for access to space applications. One of NASA’s Advanced Space Transportation Program goals is to develop a third generation human-rated RLV by the year 2025. Glenn Research Center is actively developing airbreathing propulsion systems to meet this goal. Currently, two airbreathing propulsion systems are being considered for use: (1) Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engines that use ducted rockets combined with airbreathing ram/scramjets to augment rocket propulsion, and (2) Turbine-Based Combined Cycle (TBCC) engines that use an airbreathing gas turbine engine combined with an airbreathing ram/scramjet to augment rocket propulsion. Currently, multiple vehicle concepts are being considered as the third generation access to space vision vehicle. One concept considers a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle that uses a RBCC or TBCC airbreathing propulsion system, while alternate vehicle concepts are considering a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) vehicle whose first stage may use a gas turbine propulsion system while the second stage may use a RBCC propulsion system. The Glenn Research Center Inlet Branch is developing the inlet systems for the airbreathing propulsion flow paths on each of these vehicle concepts. At this time, the Inlet Branch is actively designing an inlet system for the proposed X-43B research flight vehicle, and the Inlet Branch anticipates supporting the TSTO gas turbine flow path inlet design in the near future. Also, the Inlet Branch is assisting an industry effort to develop an inlet for an RBCC concept. For both of these efforts, the NASA Glenn Research Center is seeking technical assistance for the design and analysis of these inlets. Background The mission focus of this contract is access to space. Turbine based combined cycles offer high specific impulse (> 600 sec) but usually have high dry weight fraction delivered compared to rockets and rocket-based combined cycles. Turbine accelerators can be used in a combined cycle with a ramjet/scramjet for a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) reusable launch vehicle (RLV) or with a ramjet or afterburner as the first stage in a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) RLV using rockets or a rocket-based combined cycle for the second stage. NASA's Hyper-X flight demonstration vehicle’s technology is traceable to a subscale SSTO vehicle, while many third generation RLV concepts are TSTO. This statement of work is for a task order contract to be awarded by NASA Glenn Research Center under the management of the Turbomachinery & Propulsion Systems Division’s Inlet Branch. The inlet development efforts funded by this task order contract directly supports the Propulsion Research and Technology project (PR&T), the Revolutionary Turbine Accelerator (RTA) project, and the Integrated Systems Test of an Airbreathing Rocket (ISTAR) project. These projects are sponsored by NASA's Aerospace Technology Enterprise under the Advanced Space Transportation Program, as part of the Space Transportation Research leading to a 3rd Generation RLV. The project supports the Access to Space goal of the Aerospace Technology Enterprise strategic plan. The duration of this effort is expected to last four years and multiple awards are anticipated. The Advanced Space Transportation Program has selected a hydrocarbon-fueled rocket based combined cycle engine for subscale ground demonstration in 2006-7. In 2004, they plan to select a second engine cycle for subscale ground tests in 2008. In 2008-9, NASA plans to flight test an X-43B – like vehicle, a subscale hydrocarbon fueled derivative of the hydrogen-fueled Hyper-X flight vehicle. The subscale flight vehicle will be airdropped from a B-52 and accelerated to Mach 7 to demonstrate ramjet/scramjet transition from low to high Mach numbers. Various options are being considered for the accelerator. One option is the hydrocarbon fueled RBCC, another involves a turbine engine integrated with the ramjet/scramjet in an over/under configuration with separate inlet and exhaust from the ramjet/scramjet. A second round of subscale flight tests could be conducted in 2010-2011. Full scale ground demonstrations and flight tests are envisioned after 2015 under NASA's Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP). These ground demonstrations would be in support of the 2025 goal of a third generation human-rated RLV with $ 100/lb launch costs, improved safety (1 in 1,000,000 flight catastrophic failure), and airline-like operations (2,000 flights per year fleet average and one day turn-around per vehicle). Objectives The primary objective of this contract activity is to provide technical assistance to the Glenn Research Center Inlet Branch staff for airbreathing inlet systems design and analysis in support of the NASA ASTP access to space initiative. This includes the Revolutionary Turbine Accelerator (RTA) project that focuses on TBCC propulsion systems and the ISTAR project that focuses on RBCC propulsion systems. At this time, the Inlet Branch is actively developing inlet systems for the proposed X-43B research flight vehicle (both RTA and ISTAR), and the Inlet Branch anticipates supporting the TSTO gas turbine flow path inlet development effort in the near future. To this end, the NASA Glenn Research Center is seeking technical assistance for the design and analysis of these inlets. For the RTA inlet development effort, anticipated tasks for this effort will include, but are not limited to: (1) Inlet sizing/gas turbine engine mass flow matching studies. (2) Preliminary and detailed aerodynamic design of gas turbine inlet systems for Mach 0 to 4 operation with appropriate flow control to maximize inlet performance and operability over the operational Mach number range. (3) Development of inlet design techniques to mitigate inlet performance loss due to vehicle forebody boundary layer ingestion. (4) Preliminary definition and design of inlet mechanical variable geometry actuation mechanisms with an emphasis on vehicle/propulsion system inlet integration. (5) Extensive use of Two-Dimensional (2D) and Three-Dimensional (3D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a design and analysis tool to guide the inlet design process and refine candidate inlet designs. (6) Use of sophisticated 3D CFD tools to conduct end-to-end analysis of vehicle/integrated inlet systems. (7) Development and application of sophisticated CFD tools to conduct time accurate analysis of TBCC propulsion system mode transition. (8) Research support for wind tunnel testing of inlet systems. Assist Glenn Research Center engineers in defining testing research objectives and assist in the actual testing process. For the ISTAR inlet development effort, anticipated tasks for this effort will include, but are not limited to: (1) Provide expert consultation on the development of hypersonic inlets for the ISTAR vehicle. Consultation shall draw upon extensive knowledge of previous supersonic and hypersonic inlet development. Operability, (shock stability or isolation techniques), are a particular are of emphasis for ISTAR. Consultation will largely involve participation on teleconferences, technical meetings and providing informal reports and guidance on the progress of the project. (2) Identify testing and analysis opportunities for the contractor and the NASA personnel to add value to the ISTAR inlet development effort. This task may include formal proposals for test planning, analyses of existing data and test support should a inlet testing element develop. Special Requirements/Surveillance Plan The proposed tasks of this research effort will be worked concurrently by Glenn Research Center Inlet Branch staff and the chosen contractor(s). 1. It is expected that the contractor(s) will have frequent communication with Glenn Research Center Inlet Branch staff in order to facilitate technology exchange between the two parties in the form of daily, weekly, or bi-weekly Glenn Research Center on-site meetings, as appropriate. Any company that wishes to participate in this effort must address how they plan to meet this requirement to be considered for selection. 2. An oral midterm report and written summary shall be presented at NASA Glenn. 3. Final oral and written summary reports shall be presented at NASA Glenn. Any prospective company that intends to bid on the individual tasks of this contract effort must submit documentation that verifies the principal investigators identified to support this effort have the technical background and expertise to perform the various tasks. The principal investigators must have demonstrated extensive experience in supersonic and hypersonic inlet design and analysis for high Mach number propulsion systems. In addition, the principal investigators for the CFD portion of the effort must have extensive specific CFD experience in the area of supersonic and/or hypersonic inlet analysis and propulsion/airframe integration. As a minimum, each company must submit relevant curricula vitae for each of the principal investigators identified to support this effort. Deliverables The deliverables will vary as necessary according to the needs of each task written under this contract. However, the following deliverables are required for each task unless otherwise exempted in the task description: 1. Oral midterm report that discusses task progress, schedule, and accomplishments to date. An electronic copy of the oral midterm presentation will suffice as the written summary. 2. Final oral report that gives an overview of the entire task with an emphasis on the technical findings and accomplishments. The written report will be a technical report of sufficient detail so Inlet Branch personnel can assess the contractor’s performance and use the technical findings to augment ongoing 3rd Generation RLV airbreathing propulsion inlet development efforts. If required, each specific task description issued under this contract will list the additional required deliverable items. Period of Performance The contract is expected to be awarded January 2003 and will end December 2006 for duration of four years. The total contract award for all tasks will not exceed $4.0 million. Multiple companies may be chosen to support this effort. A FIRM-FIXED-PRICE, TASK-ORDER CONTRACT IS CONTEMPLATED. PROPOSERS ARE ASKED TO SUBMIT SUCCINCT DESCRIPTIONS OF THEIR PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS OF THE FOLLOWING THREE SAMPLE TASKS. INCLUDED SHOULD BE TOP LEVEL COST PROPOSALS WHICH INCLUDE TOTAL LABOR HOURS, TOTAL DIRECT LABOR, LABOR OVERHEAD,SUBCONTRACTS, G&A AND PROFIT. THE COST FOR EACH SAMPLE TASK SHOULD BE, IN THE PROPOSER'S OPINION, APPROPRIATE FOR THE WORK TO BE PERFORMED AND NEED NOT APPROXIMATE THE CONTRACT'S MAXIMUM VALUE. THE GOVERNMENT WILL AWARD TO THE OFFEROR(S)WHOSE PROPOSAL PROVIDES THE BEST VALUE TO THE GOVERNMENT. THE BEST VALUE ANALYSIS WILL WILL INCLUDE BUT WILL NOT BE LIMITED TO THE GOVERNMENT'S EVALUATION OF THE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE KEY PERSONNEL AND THE INNOVATIVENESS AND PRACTICALITY OF THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF THE INLETS. THE GOVERNMENT MAY AWARD TO AN OFFEROR WHOSE PROPOSAL IS SUFFICIENTLY MORE ADVANTAGEOUS THAN LOWER PRICED PROPOSALS SO AS TO JUSTIFY PAYMENT OF THE HIGHER COST. PROPOSERS ARE REQUESTED TO SUBIT AN ORIGINAL AND TWO COPIES OF THEIR PROPOSAL TO THE PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT AT MS 500-306. Anticipated FY03 Task Descriptions Sample Task #1 – X-43B Air Vehicle Low Speed Inlet System Preliminary Aerodynamic Design and Analysis Inlet Branch personnel are already engaged in an inlet design activity for the low speed inlet system for the X-43B air vehicle. This inlet system feeds the gas turbine portion of the TBCC propulsion system that is anticipated to operate from Mach 0.7 to 4.0. The contractor shall perform the following subtasks in support of this task: 1. Develop an analytical method to conduct inlet-gas turbine engine mass flow matching studies. This analytical method must account for the viscous losses due to forebody boundary layer ingestion and cowl-generated internal boundary layers. This analytical method must also be robust enough to address inlet spillage considerations (no shock-on-lip inlet design). Internal mass flow removal such as bleed must also be included in this model. It is preferred that this analytical model run on an Excel spreadsheet and made available to NASA personnel. Deliverables: 1) Excel spreadsheet with working analytical method, 2) Written report that describes assumptions and methodology used to construct analytical model and instructions on how to use the Excel spreadsheet. 2. Perform a study to determine the best design approach for the X-43B low speed gas turbine inlet. Review the baseline two-dimensional (2D) GRC inlet aerodynamic design and propose design changes to enhance the baseline inlet performance and operability. In particular the contractor shall determine the following: a. The type of inlet design that will best meet performance and operability objectives. b. The inlet design approach. Since the X43-B flies an accelerator mission, determine whether or not a point Mach number design is appropriate. If a point design is recommended, address the off-design Mach number inlet performance and operability characteristics. c. Use analytical method developed in subtask 1 to estimate inlet capture area at discrete Mach numbers from Mach 0.7 to 4.0. d. Based on recommendations for 2a and 2b, estimate worst case and best case inlet recoveries at discrete Mach numbers from Mach 0.7 to 4.0. Deliverables: 1) Written report that summarizes findings of this study. 3. Perform preliminary aerodynamic and mechanical design of X-43B low speed inlet system in conjunction with NASA GRC Inlet Branch. The contractor and Inlet Branch members will work jointly to: a. Determine inlet 2D internal flowpath contours at discrete Mach numbers over the anticipated flight range of Mach 0.7 to 4.0. b. Extend the baseline 2D inlet design developed in subtask 3a to three dimensions (3D) and determine mechanical requirements for variable geometry actuation. c. Incorporate flow control and flow matching systems such as bleed, vortex generator, and overboard flow bypass doors as needed into inlet design. d. Ensure that the low speed inlet flowpath design will integrate into the X-43B research vehicle. Deliverables: 1) Through the course of this subtask, the contractor shall provide aerodynamic contour geometry developed in 3a and 3b to NASA GRC to be used for timely CFD analysis of configurations. GRC staff shall provide design input based on in-house design and analysis to refine inlet aerodynamic contours until GRC staff and the contractor agree upon a baseline aerodynamic inlet design for future study. 2) Written report that summarizes findings. Report shall include: a) Detailed sketch of inlet concept with tabulated inlet internal flowpath coordinates at discrete Mach numbers from Mach 0.7 to 4.0, b) Detailed sketches of inlet flow control and flow matching systems with appropriate locations shown in flowpath sketch. 3) Electronic files that contain the inlet internal flowpath coordinates. Sample Task #2 – Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Support for Inlet Branch Activities The Inlet Branch routinely performs detailed analysis of various sophisticated inlet systems for airbreathing flight vehicles. Currently, the Inlet Branch is supporting analysis of a variety of high speed inlets including the low speed inlet system for the X-43B flight test vehicle, the ISTAR dual mode ram/scramjet flowpath, and a variety of advanced supersonic inlet concepts. The Inlet Branch is seeking a contractor to augment the Inlet Branch’s CFD analysis capabilities. The primary task will be to provide CFD analysis support for X-43B low speed inlet development efforts. However, as time permits, the contractor will perform timely inlet CFD analysis for other ongoing inlet development efforts within the Inlet Branch. Because the X-43B inlet analysis effort will require close communication with both NASA and contractor staff performing task 1.3 in this Statement of Work, it is preferred that the contractor’s staff member identified to conduct this task be located on site at NASA Glenn Research Center in order to facilitate the timely exchange of information. In addition, the contractor’s staff member will use the computational resources and infrastructure already present at NASA Glenn to expedite the CFD analysis. Because of the nature of the task, the contractor will be funded in one year increments, and deliverables of this task will consist of timely transfer of critical CFD analyses to Inlet Branch personnel. Sample Task #3 – Assessment of Interim Speed stability of the ISTAR inlet The ISTAR inlet is designed to provide high speed (Mach 5 to 7) performance. For this inlet, at interim speeds from Mach 2.5 to 5, the off-design operability remains an unknown. By judicious application of prior analysis techniques, the contractor shall 1) make an assessment of prior data, 2) apply supersonic inlet operability techniques to the hypersonic inlet assessment, and 3) develop a new approach if warranted. This effort will advance the state-of-the-art in interim speed operability of hypersonic inlets. Because of the nature of the task, the contractor will be funded in one year increments, and deliverables of this task will consist of timely transfer of critical design guidance, analyses, and recommended testing approaches to Inlet Branch personnel. The following clauses apply: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions - Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items FAR 52.227-11, Patent Rights - Retention by the Contractor (Short Form) FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data - General The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. The NAICS Code and Size Standard are 541330 and $23M respectively. The DPAS Rating for this procurement is DO-C9. The provisions and clauses in the RFO and model contract are those in effect through FAC 01-09. All qualified responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. The due date for proposals is January 10, 2003. An ombudsman has been appointed -- See NASA Specific Note "B". It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet site for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html
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