SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- SPACE APPLICATION HYPERGOLIC FLUID FLOW METER
- Notice Date
- 5/14/2014
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334514
— Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Procurement, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
- ZIP Code
- 32899
- Solicitation Number
- NNK14ZOPHW2L
- Response Due
- 6/2/2014
- Archive Date
- 5/14/2015
- Point of Contact
- Helena Jo Wilkas, Contract Specialist, Phone 321-867-4133, Fax 321-867-4848, Email helena.j.wilkas@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Helena Jo Wilkas
(helena.j.wilkas@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Introduction: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invites potential Offerors to submit a response to this RFI to find interested and qualified sources and planning information for the design, development, and manufacture of a flow meter to accurately measure liquid hydrazine (N2H4) totalized flow on a spacecraft in a low earth orbit application. It is also desired that the flow meter can perform similarly with liquid nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4 or NTO) and monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and hydrazine (N2H4) to meter accurate transfer fluid to a spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) and eventually cis-lunar space. The Government will provide in its planned future Request for Proposal a more detailed performance specification which outlines the flight qualification levels required for any technologies proposed. The intent of this RFI is to obtain information from industry to assist Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in its acquisition development. NASA is soliciting initial intent of interest from all companies with past experience and qualifications in this type of design, fabrication, and qualification/test service. First test article and follow-on flight articles would be required to be certified to the requirements of AIAA S-080 or a similar aerospace code approved by NASA. NASA reserves the right to share all information received in response to this RFI throughout NASA and to use all information submitted in response to this RFI in NASAs formulation of a solicitation seeking competitive proposals.However, any submitted competition sensitive data should be clearly marked proprietary and will only be shared with the NASA team members.Although information contained herein represents current program content and acquisition planning, it is subject to change. Response to this RFI is requested within the context of the general approach described in the following paragraphs. Flow Meter Overall Description and Preliminary Requirements: The characteristics listed in Table 1 are the key goals required to support planned operations. Table 1 - Flow Meter Performance NASA Key Goals: Fluid Compatibility: Required - N2H4, deionized water, and isopropyl alcohol, Desired - MMH, N2O4, CFC-113, NaOH Min/Max Flow Rate:0.001 to 0.1 kg/s Fluid Temperature:10 to 50 degrees C External Temperature Exposure (Non-Operating Temperature while Dry):-20 to 60 degrees C Pressure Operating Range (MEOP):0 to 450 psig Proof Pressure: 1.5 X MEOP (hydrostatic test) Burst Pressure: 2.5 X MEOP Totalized Mass Accuracy (Forward):0.5% or better for 100 kg transfer at (at least) 0.02 kg/s Totalized Mass Accuracy (Reverse):1.0% or better for 200 kg transfer at (at least) 0.02 kg/s Repeatability:0.2% or better Turndown Ratio: 20:1 or better at 0.5% totalized accuracy Liquid Throughput Capacity:Up to 1100 kg Fuel (1700 kg of N2O4 desired) External Leakage: 1 X 10^-6 standard cubic centimeter per second (SCCS) with GHe Mechanical Fluid Line End Interface: Welded for flight unit (Female boss per SAE AS5202, tube fitting per SAE J514, or Swagelok VCO for ground test unit) Signal: RS-422 is preferred (would accept 0-10 VDC if accuracy requirements are able to be met) Electrical Interface: RS-422 preferred if signal is digital (if not, recommend alternate) Power Supply Operating Voltage Range: +28VDC nominal (+24VDC to +32VDC) Power Draw: Not to exceed 50 W at any time Ground Resistance: Path provided along with limit value(s) Storage Life: 2 years Operational Life: 5 years EMI: Comply with MIL - STD - 461 Additional Summary of Proposed Component Capabilities: NASA is soliciting for the approximate values/ranges of industry past flight or ground experience/qualification levels for key historical discriminators of the following parameters based on meeting the approximate key goals (listed in Table 1) to leverage evolved development resulting in production time and development cost savings: 1a) fluid interface line inner and outer diameters; 2a) unit pressure drop at 0.1 kg/s; 3a) cycle life (wet/dry, if applicable); 4a) fundamental frequency (electronics and measurement device); 5a) mean time between failures; 6a) recommended calibration cycle; and 7a) min./max./preferred sample rate. The vendor shall provide ranges for the following in which the required accuracy can be maintained as stated in Table 1: 1b) temperature; 2b) pressure; 3b) density; 4b) viscosity; 5b) vibration; 6b) radiation; 7b) magnetic fields; and 8b) percent two-phase flow. The vendor shall also provide information and/or recommendations related to the following: 1c) signal conditioning; 2c) required supporting hardware; 3c) compatibility with high frequency pulsed flow (>50 Hz); 4c) ability to differentiate gas from liquid states; 5c) ability to maintain listed requirements following flow path exposure to vacuum and re-wetting at high flow rate including water hammer effect (at up to 1.2 MEOP); 6c) required flow conditioning and measurement linearity; 7c) ability to be integrated to multiple sensors/electronics packages; 8c) ability to accept the pressure decay of a launch vehicle profile (sea level atmospheric pressure to vacuum); 9c) mechanical mounting interface; 10c) potential outgassing; and 11c) required software. The vendor shall also provide information related to the response (any past qualification or test / analysis levels) of the unit to the following: 1d) radiation; 2d) vibration; 3d) static acceleration; and 4d) shock during and prior to use. Note that any items not tested or analyzed should be marked as not tested or analyzed previously to help assist with NASA delta qualification time requirements and cost assessment. The vendor will submit responses for the listed items for a flight unit(s) exposed to the vacuum of space and a first article ground test unit(s). Specific Information Solicited for this Request for Information: Responders to this RFI are encouraged to comment on any of the preliminary requirements listed and to express their interest in this proposed acquisition by submitting the following information: 1) Organization name, address, principal activity, business size, and primary point of contact; 2) Rough order of magnitude cost for (a) design and development, including consideration for submit of documentation for NASA formal design review/approval of all drawings, analysis, bill of material, qualification, and test plans prior to fabrication start, (b) two prototype qualifying units, one for vendor testing, and one for KSC testing, (c) two additional production units for flight application; 3) Lead times for design and development, prototype/test units, and production/flight units; 4) Description of your companys experience in developing and producing devices of a similar nature for aerospace systems, similar to the requirements described in this RFI;5) Documentation demonstrating your companys core competencies (skills, knowledge, expertise, facilities, production equipment, and documentation systems); 6) Mass and size - The vendor shall submit an estimated itemized component mass and size list for flight article; and 7) Typical vendor flow meter characteristics from previous flight or ground qualified units of a similar design for all items shown in this RFI or submit outline of plan for delta design/qualification of component, if not previously Aerospace flight qualified. Response Instructions: The requested responses are for information and planning purposes only. NASA does not intend to post information or questions received to any website or public access location. NASA does not plan to reply to the individual responses, and respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement. Feedback to this RFI may be utilized in formulating the Governments acquisition strategy and documents. All responses should be provided electronically in Microsoft Word document format. Font should be Times New Roman, size 12. Responses should not exceed 15 pages and should reference RFI# NNK14ZOPHW2L. Please submit electronic responses no later than 8:00 AM EST, June 2, 2014, to the NASA/KSC Procurement Office, e-mail address helena.j.wilkas@nasa.gov. This preliminary information is being made available for planning purposes only, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, entitled Solicitation for Information and Planning Purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal, Invitation for Bid, or Request for Quotation, and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract. Moreover, the Government will not pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI, nor will the Government reimburse an Offeror for costs incurred to prepare responses to this RFI. No solicitation exists at this time; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released later this fiscal year as currently planned, it will be synopsized in the FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Services (NAIS). It is the potential Offerors responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/p ub_library/Omb.html.
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