MODIFICATION
61 -- Power Supply for Arc-Heated Test Facility
- Notice Date
- 1/11/2018
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 335999
— All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, HQ Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) - Arnold, 100 Kindel Drive, Suite A-335, Arnold AFB, Tennessee, 37389-1335, United States
- ZIP Code
- 37389-1335
- Solicitation Number
- FA9101-17-R-0121
- Archive Date
- 5/1/2018
- Point of Contact
- Adam P Foret, Phone: 931-454-4448, Elijah Minter, Phone: 931-454-3009
- E-Mail Address
-
adam.foret.1@us.af.mil, elijah.minter.1@us.af.mil
(adam.foret.1@us.af.mil, elijah.minter.1@us.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- ***NOTICE*** _____________________________________________________________________ THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. This RFI is ISSUED for the purpose of developing a viable solicitation that will best communicate the Government's requirements to industry. The requested information is for planning purposes only and does NOT constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued. No entitlement to payment by the Government of direct or indirect cost or charges will arise as a result of the submission of information in response to this RFI. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any improperly identified proprietary information. Proprietary information will be safe guarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. Formal notices will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website, http://www.fbo.gov/. Added Information since previous RFI (Instructions) is below in bold and attached as RFI #2 INSTRUCTIONS: Please review the information on Pages 2-5 and provide answers to the questions on Page 6. Answers to questions should be submitted within two weeks of the posting date, budgetary information withn three weeks of that same date. All respondents that can provide any of the requested information should reply in writing (electronic responses) to the contract specialist, Adam Foret, at adam.foret.1@us.af.mil. Technical questions relating to this RFI may be directed to Harry Clark at harry.clark.4@us.af.mil. Requested response dates: January 25, 2018 - General Questions February 1, 2018 - Rought Order of Magnitude *Final RFI Attached* DESCRIPTION The Government is interested in obtaining information concerning a replacement for an existing high-voltage, direct-current power supply for an arc-heated test facility. The power supply shall provide increased capability for a Test and Evaluation facility that uses the power supply connected to an arc heater (one of three that share a common infrastructure) to generate the required test conditions. The Government expects that the system will be a fully integrated system consisting of transformer and rectifier equipment that operates in coordination with auxiliary equipment including, but not limited to, appropriate buses, breakers, and health monitoring devices. This equipment must convert 161kV TVA line voltage to DC power from a low power requirement of nominally 5 MW up to 225 MW. The overarching requirement for the system is that it be configurable to deliver a pre-specified level of current to the arc heater over the duration of a test. PURPOSE Based upon the operating characteristics and ranges described below, the Government solicits input from industry and others regarding methods for designing, manufacturing, commissioning, operating, and maintaining such a system. The Government expects, based upon responses, to solicit further input to this RFI and then host an Industry Day, which will prepare the Government to issue a Solicitation (Request For Proposals) to provide the power supply. All respondents that can provide any of the requested information should reply in writing (electronic responses) to the contract specialist, Adam Foret at adam.foret.1@us.af.mil OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS Existing The existing system is comprised of a tap changing transformer, a set of reactors downstream of the transformer, and an uncontrolled rectifier that converts the AC power to DC power for the arc heater. The tap of the transformer is configured to deliver the required current for a given test. The start sequence for the arc heater requires rapidly increasing voltage across the electrodes of the heater to initiate an arc that bridges the gap, causing a sudden decrease in the resistance between the electrodes and a drop in voltage. Simultaneous to closing the breaker for the electrical circuit, a quick opening valve is actuated to introduce the test medium (high pressure air) to the heater. At this point, the current to the heater must be maintained at the desired amperage as the voltage across the heater climbs to compensate for the increasing resistance of the test medium. Upon reaching the desired pressure in the heater, the system sources current at the pre-selected value while passively adjusting the voltage in response to the dynamically changing load resistance of the arc heater. Representative power levels at which the existing system has operated (Voltage is across the heater, not the output of the rectifier) are: V I (kV) (kA) 4 2.8 5 2.0 9 0.9 18 0.8 21 1.5 25 2.3 25 2.5 30 2.2 Required The start sequence and operational characteristic of the arc heater will not change. The operating range for the new system, which must include all of the existing operational range, has known requirements for the following power levels: V I (kV) (kA) 9 0.6 10 8.5 12 7.6 20 7.0 22 6.7 25 4.5 28 4.1 28 3.6 31 2.8 41 3.2 Existing operations are conducted at steady state current levels. The Government desires to operate the system in a mode that allows the current to be varied in a continuous fashion across a wide range during a single facility test event. This could require, after reaching the initial condition, that the power supply maintain the established current during changes in mass flow of the high pressure air or to change the current to a new level. A sample case could require changes in a range from 20 kV at 2 kA to 18 kV at 3 kA to 25 kV at 5 kA to 22 kV at 7 kA. The duty cycle for the system is expected to be 30 minutes of use at desired operating conditions once per day, with alternative operating scenarios of 1) one 15 minute run followed by a second 15 minute run after a nominal delay of 3 to 6 hours, or 2) multiple short duration runs per day with total operating time not to exceed 30 minutes. The power supply must be sited within the 90 feet x 130 feet footprint available in the 161 kV substation that is adjacent to the arc heater test facility. The Government desires the system to be designed for a thirty (30) year life cycle. QUESTIONS •1. What sort of system would best meet the Government's stated requirements? •a. Describe the major components for this system. •b. Describe the concept of operations that would meet the Government's requirements. •2. What trades in performance or operating scenarios would be most beneficial if cost containment was required? •3. What problems do the operational characteristics of the heater and the required operating modes present to the design of the system and a control system for the current in the heater?
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AEDC/FA9101-17-R-0121/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Arnold AFB, Tennessee, 37389, United States
- Zip Code: 37389
- Zip Code: 37389
- Record
- SN04788246-W 20180113/180111231614-ff0d29477914874ab0f0bd3037963a7a (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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