SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Advanced Active Shaft Grounding System
- Notice Date
- 3/30/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. S.W., Washington, District of Columbia, 20375
- ZIP Code
- 20375
- Solicitation Number
- NRL-11-MR02
- Archive Date
- 6/13/2012
- Point of Contact
- Melissa E. Rivera-Weedin, Phone: 2024043558
- E-Mail Address
-
Melissa.Rivera-Weedin@nrl.navy.mil
(Melissa.Rivera-Weedin@nrl.navy.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This publication constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) and no formal Request for Proposals (RFP), solicitation, and/or additional information regarding this request will be issued. The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will not issue paper copies of this request. The responses to this RFI will be considered in the planning and definition of Future Naval Capabilities programs. This is not a commitment to fund any effort submitted in response to this request. The Government will not reimburse any costs associated with the development and submission of materials in response to this request. This Request for Information solicits industry and academic sources to express their capability to provide comprehensive or component technologies for use in or as an Advanced Active Shaft Grounding System (ASGS) for Navy ships and submarines. The subject system should include an integrated shaft current sensing capability, electrical impedance to ground minimization, shaft current control capability and electrical contacts for rotary components such as shafts. As discussed in more detail below, NRL seeks to develop a new ASGS design, with a new integrated shaft current sensing and shaft current control capability. The intention of this RFI is to obtain concepts for (1) establishing low-resistivity contact to the shaft and (2) methods of measuring and datalogging grounding system performance parameters. This new system will have increased reliability and mean time between failures (MTBF) compared to the ASGS currently employed in the fleet, thus reducing repair/life cycle costs. Specifically, the system to be developed under the FNC will address the problems of (1) intermittent or inconsistent electrical and/or mechanical contact between the ASGS system and the rotating shaft, (2) poor reliability/maintainability of the system; particularly contact or wear components (3) weight and physical size of the system. The new system must have the capability of sensing corrosion and corrosion control current flowing down the shaft. The legacy ASGS system uses a system of spring-loaded conductive brushes that ride on a contact ring fitted to the rotating shaft. The new system may use a similar arrangement or an alternative arrangement that provides a greater and more consistent degree of electrical contact and a reduced maintenance burden. NRL is particularly interested in systems that provide grounding through contact with no wear components or provide non-contact grounding approaches. The complete ASGS is defined as all components required to ground the shaft of the vessel to the hull and to measure the electrical current passing through the shaft to ground (ship's structure), though responders to this RFI may only have applicable technology to a component of the complete system. These include the following: shaft electrical continuity hardware (all components mounted/attached to the shaft, both inside and/or outside of the vessel's hull), current sensor hardware (components required to measure the shaft current at either an inboard or outboard location relative to the main shaft bearings and to connect the sensor with the control/monitoring unit) and control/ monitoring unit electronics (components needed to monitor, record and provide feedback to the onboard Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) system). Responders to the RFI are encouraged to consider novel materials and material treatments, new electrical continuity concepts and designs to achieve the desired goals. These may include brushless systems or advanced brush designs incorporating shaft surface treatments to replace existing shaft-fitted slip rings. Contractors can submit white papers on the entire ASGS system or on key components, such as the current sensor or electrical grounding system. Special interest exists in concepts for (1) establishing low-resistivity contact to the shaft and (2) methods of measuring and datalogging grounding system performance parameters. Present shaft grounding is accomplished on Navy ships using circumferential conductive bands attached to the shaft working that make direct contact with conductive brushes which, in turn, are attached to grounding cables. Innovative means of establishing low-resistivity (<1 mV potential difference at 100ADC), consistent electrical contact between rotating components and ground are of interest. This includes technologies to form seamless joints in high strength silver alloys and/or innovative materials deposition technologies that would permit the installation of seamless contact surfaces on rotating components. Additionally, robust methods of measuring and datalogging grounding system performance parameters of contact resistance, current flow through such a shaft ground are also of interest. This Grounding Datalog Unit (GDU) should be capable of measuring and storing conditioned multiple analog inputs (-10V to +10V range) as well as multiple channels of binary TTL-input alarm or fault indicators and at least two channels of unconditioned inputs (-200mV to +200mV range). This logging system shall allow a limited access user interface (requiring authorization or passwords to operate), allowing the user to change the frequency of the logging event based on need. The choice in frequency shall range between every 5 minutes to once a work shift. Sufficient memory space shall be provided to cover 1.5 years of data logging before overwriting will occur. Logging capability shall include the ability to transmit data monthly. Recall data capability shall include the ability to recall on demand and display all data that has been logged in the data file. Logging and data storage capability shall also include the ability to real time log and store data on demand at an interval specified by an authorized user. The GDU shall log and store information as to the date, time, and duration whenever the grounding system is shutdown. Upon each startup of the system, after a period when it has been shutdown, the GDU shall log and store all readings from of the system, to provide information on the shaft condition. There shall be a removable storage device access port (disc drive, flash media, other) installed to allow an operator to download the information from the GDU without compromising the integrity of data stored on the GDU. The advanced ASGS system shall maintain a stable ground shaft to hull voltage difference not greater than ±2 mV at 100 Amperes (DC) with an objective of less than ±1 mV at 100 ADC. It will be low weight, provide digital Ethernet output of data, have a long service life (40 x 10 6 rotations and 15 years, minimum) with straightforward, periodic, maintenance, contain no heavy metals and minimize particulate generation. Both repairs and maintenance should be completed by depot (pier-side) level activities. In addition, the system shall provide the capability to measure currents in a shaft in both the DC and AC spectrums with a threshold resolution of 0.1A and an objective of 0.01A from 0 to 1000Hz. In concert with consideration of new materials and designs, the Navy has also established goals which will also govern the development options. These are established with the intent of constructing a prototype or assembly of individual compone nt technologies for testing on a land based test stand in FY12 and a full scale unit available to the Fleet for demonstration purposes by the Government in Fiscal Year 2014 (Starting October 2013). The prototype system shall have an objective of maintaining a stable ground shaft to hull voltage of less than ±1 mV at 100 ADC. The system shall demonstrate a mean-time-between failure of greater than 4000 hours, continuous operation, on a test stand with an objective of more than 8000 hours on a test stand. The system total weight shall be less than 500 lbs with a target of less than 250 lbs. Collaboration and teaming between sensor/ material / process developers is encouraged to achieve the technical goals and manufacturing capability. An Industry Day will be held on May 05, 2011 to provide additional information and discussion on this topic. Details and registration information may be found at https://secure.onr.navy.mil/events/regdetail.asp?cid=719 Attendance is voluntary and not required to respond to this RFI; however, registration is required to attend the Industry Day. Time will be allowed during the industry day for potential offerers to interface with other interested commercial and academic parties. Submissions To minimize costs to potential contractors in responding to the subject announcement, each contractor is encouraged to submit an initial White Paper of no more than five (5) pages in length for each specific technology offered. A single source may submit multiple White Papers. White Papers may be submitted via e-mail to the Points of Contact Listed below. Alternatively, hard copies (1 original + 2 copies) may be mailed to the Points of Contact. All White Papers must be received by the requested due date (13 June 2011). Technology maturity and manufacturing capability shall be included. Each source should also provide a two (2) page maximum resume or c urriculum vitae for the Principal Investigator. Immediate questions and responses to this sources sought should be transmitted via email to Melissa.Rivera-Weedin@nrl.navy.mil in either Microsoft Word or pdf format. All responses shall be received on or before the response date noted above, 12:00 Noon, Eastern time. If paper copies are sent, they must be received at Naval Research Laboratory, Attn: Melissa Rivera-Weedin (Code 3220.mr), 4555 Overlook Ave, SW, Washington, D.C. 20375-5320. The package should be marked with the RFI Number, due date and time. The U.S. Postal Service continues to irradiate letters, flats, Express and Priority Mail with stamps for postage and other packages with stamps for postage destined to government agencies in the ZIP Code ranges 202 through 205. Due to potential delays in receiving mail, offerors are encouraged to use alternatives to the mail when submitting proposals. Other business opportunities for NRL are available at our website http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts/rfplist.htm
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/ONR/N00173/NRL-11-MR02/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Contractor's Facility, United States
- Record
- SN02413463-W 20110401/110330235031-29b26cc8b4bfb62537a38f3ba6f9cc33 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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