SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- SELF CONTAINED PORTABLE TEST FACILITY FOR SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM (UAS) PROPULSION SYSTEMS
- Notice Date
- 8/6/2018
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541715
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, Army Contracting Command, ACC - RSA (W31P4Q) Missile, BLDG 5303 SPARKMAN CIR, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, 35898-5090, United States
- ZIP Code
- 35898-5090
- Solicitation Number
- W31P4Q-18-R-0147
- Archive Date
- 10/5/2018
- Point of Contact
- Miroslaw Chodaba, Phone: 2568762105
- E-Mail Address
-
miroslaw.chodaba.civ@mail.mil
(miroslaw.chodaba.civ@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES (OCT 1997) (a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information solicited. (b) Although 'proposal' and 'offeror' are used in this RFI, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. (c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of acquiring information on Self Contained Portable Test Facility for Small UAS Propulsion Systems. Pursuant to FAR 15.2, this notice is being issued as a Request for Information (RFI). The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) is currently conducting market research only. NO AWARD IS INTENDED AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI, NOR DOES THE GOVERNMENT INTEND TO PAY FOR INFORMATION RECEIVED. Responses to this notice are not an offer and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. RFI Responses will only be accepted from U.S. Companies and Organizations. FOREIGN PARTICIPATION IS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR THIS EFFORT. The AMRDEC, on behalf of the U.S. Army, desires to obtain information from domestic sources to serve as a market survey of existing technologies that have the capability to perform static testing of small UAS propeller driven internal combustion (IC) propulsion systems up to 45 horsepower. The Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but desires information on existing small engine test facility designs. The mission of the Army UAS is to provide our nation and its allies world class interoperable unmanned aircraft systems and integrated payloads through excellence in program management and lifecycle support. The PM UAS team, comprised of Soldiers, civilians and industry partners alike, works tirelessly to provide world class UAS technology and support to our nation's forward deployed men and women. PM UAS is making several improvements in the areas of maintenance, training, and supply. The PM UAS maintenance initiative is focused on providing the required knowledge, documentation, and tools for the Soldier to operate, maintain, repair and evaluate UAS systems, and components such as propulsion systems, in the field and at forward area bases. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information on existing technologies that have the capability to perform static testing of small UAS propeller driven IC propulsion systems up to 45 horsepower. As a result of issuing this RFI, the Government expects to receive technical and programmatic data to assist in identifying feasible small UAS Engine Test Facility solutions, associated physical and performance characteristics, current maturity, and approximate cost and timeline required to meet the objectives stated in this RFI. This RFI is interested in current engine test facility systems that can potentially meet the following objectives: A) Capable of testing small UAS propeller driven IC propulsion systems up to 45 horsepower. The propulsion system may have a maximum propeller diameter of 37 inches. The propulsion system may run on either on either AVGAS 100LL or JP-8 and may be liquid or air cooled. Propulsion systems in this size class may expel unburned aerosolized engine oil into the environment during operation. Noise levels for these propulsion systems may be as high as 135 dBA directly adjacent to the propulsion system exhaust. B) The engine test facility shall consist of an engine test cell and a control room. The engine test facility shall be comprised of modular self-contained units and may consist of one large container with an internal division between the test cell and control room. Or the engine test facility may consist of two smaller interconnected containers (engine test cell container and control room container) that can be separated by some specified distance. The size of the modular self-contained units shall be limited to 40 feet long. C) The engine test facility shall be capable of being operated off an external 480V, 3PH, 100A, 60Hz electrical power source. D) The test facility shall be capable of being shipped using an over the road truck or by ship. The combined weight of the engine test facility shall not exceed 50,000 pounds. Appropriate container lifting interfaces (crane lifting lugs or forklift slots) shall be provided so that personnel can safely load and unload the test facility during shipment. If components of the engine test facility are required to be removed for shipping, then a means shall be provided to store, protect and ship those components with the test facility. E) The engine test facility shall have a minimum of two 36 inch personnel doors, one for the control room and one for the engine test cell. Additionally, the test cell shall have a 60 inch minimum width double door or roll up door for equipment installation and removal. The doors shall be lockable and configured to use the same lock key. The personnel doors shall have internal panic hardware to aid in egress in the event of an emergency. F) The engine test facility shall have a fire and smoke detection and warning system installed. The system shall provide audible and visual warnings to personnel within the test facility and external to the test facility. G) The engine test facility shall provide 40-50 dBA of engine noise attenuation while the test facility is in operation and measured 3 feet from external wall of test cell. The noise levels in the control room shall not exceed 85 dBA during engine test facility operation. H) The engine test facility shall provide adequate electrical conduits and cable trays to route, organize, and protect electrical cabling. The conduits and cable trays shall not provide a safety hazard to personnel working in the test facility. The cabling for the fire alarm and emergency stop (E-Stop) circuits shall be protected from damage due to fire. I) The engine test cell shall be equipped with attenuated ventilation ducts and fan(s). The fan(s) shall be capable of providing at least 19,000 CFM of airflow through the engine test cell, configured to flow through the location were the engine under test will be mounted. The fan(s) shall be equipped with variable frequency drive(s) in order the control the flow rate of the air passing through the test cell. J) In order to protect the environment, a mechanism to capture and collect all unburned oil generated during the testing process. This includes aerosolized unburned oil generated by passing though the engine and pooled liquid oil that could be generated by one of the following mechanism. 1) Oil that condenses on the test cell walls, ceiling and floor. 2) Oil that is generated by an engine or test facility leak. 3) Oil that is generated by bulk container spills. K) Adequate test facility lighting shall be provided for personnel and for test video recording. Emergency lighting shall be provided for the test facility in case of a power outage. L) In order to minimize quantities of fuel within the test cell, the test cell internal fuel reservoir size shall be limited to 5 gallons. The internal tank is to be automatically filled from a larger external fuel reservoir such that no open transfer of fuel occurs within the test cell. A gravity feed or low pressure transfer pump, in conjunction with valves, level sensors/switches and piping shall be used to automatically transfer fuel from the external reservoir to the internal fuel reservoir. The external fuel tank shall provide a means to be safely refilled during engine operation. A visual fuel level indicator (sight glass) shall be provided on each tank. Electronic fuel level sensors shall be provided for each reservoir and a fuel level readout display shall be provided for the operator in the control room. An isolation valve, tied into the E-Stop, shall be provided to isolate the external tank from the test cell in case of an emergency. M) The engine test cell shall have a low pressure and high pressure engine fuel delivery system fed by the internal fuel reservoir. Each fuel system shall be capable of operating independently and provide quick connects for attaching engine fuel supply lines. Each system shall provide a variable pressure regulator, positive displacement fuel flowmeter, electric shutoff valve (capable of being closed routinely and by E-Stop), pressure transducer, dial pressure gauge, fuel return line and 10 micron fuel filter. The high pressure system shall provide up to 20 L/h at a maximum of 75 psi and the low pressure system shall provide up to 20 L/h at a maximum pressure of 10 psi. N) An ambient temperature, pressure and relative humidity sensor(s) shall be installed in the engine test cell. The temperature, pressure and relative humidity readings shall be displayed in the control room and a computer interface shall be provided so that the data may be logged electronically. O) The engine test facility shall provide an integrated, continuously variable, computer controlled, electrical load bank to load the engine alternator during testing. The load bank shall be capable of extended operation at up to 4 KW load at 20 to 50 VDC. The load bank shall provide visual readouts of voltage, current and fault conditions and provide a data output stream for computer logging. P) An engine hoist and monorail system shall be provided that has the capability to lift up to 330 lb. The monorail system shall by configured to provide hoist access to the test cell equipment door mentioned in paragraph E. Q) The engine test facility shall provide a configurable and adaptable E-stop that can be used to quickly shut down and engine and close fuel system isolation valves. Engines in this size class typically provide for engine shutdown by shorting the ignition system to ground. The E-Stop system should be configurable to provide for other types of engine kill signals, if required. R) The control room shall have a climate control system and insulation that is capable of keeping the control room temperature and humidity in a comfortable operating range for personnel. In order to maintain good air quality within the control room, a fresh air exchange system shall be included. The climate control system shall be capable of working in hot/humid, hot/desert and cold environments. S) A test facility closed circuit television monitoring and recording system shall be provided. The test call shall have 4 cameras incorporating a pan/tilt/zoom capability. 4 externally mounted fixed surveillance cameras shall be provided, with the capacity to add additional cameras in the future. T) It has not been determined if the Government will develop the data acquisition (DAQ) and control hardware and software in-house. The government desires a flexible and configurable software solution that provides the operator with easy access to key engine data parameters and an intuitive engine control layout that can be modified to handle different engine interfaces and engine control module interface software. In order it aid in the decision process, please provide current test facility capabilities including manufacturer and model number of installed DAQ and control hardware, number and type of available DAQ and control channels, manufacturer and model number of existing test facility instrumentation and any other information that is available to aid in that decision. Also provide a description of the test facility software used for engine test monitoring, test facility and engine control and data logging. Please include information about the software development environment and if the software source code and documentation is available for purchase by the government. Any questions concerning this posting should reference RFI number W31P4Q-18-R-147 and be submitted in writing no later than 06:30AM Central Standard Time (CST) on Thursday, 13 September 2018 to the contractual POC: Mr. Miroslaw Chodaba, US Army Contracting Command-Redstone, CCAM-RDB, Redstone Arsenal, AL via email at miroslaw.chodaba.civ@mail.mil. White Paper Submissions: The Government seeks existing technologies that have the capability to perform static testing of small UAS propeller driven IC propulsion systems up to 45 horsepower that are capable of fully realizing the above desired objectives. Responses should include a detailed description of the current engine test facility and capabilities, a test facility concept of operations that includes shipping configuration, facility set-up, engine testing operations, facility routine maintenance and overhaul, and facility break-down for shipment. Provide an approximate cost for the standard engine test facility and the approximate amount of time that would be required to deliver the completed test facility from the receipt of order. For all of the above listed objectives, please describe how the engine test facility meets each objective. In cases where the objective is not met, please provide a description of how the test facility could be modified to meet the objective, potential ramifications or benefits for not meeting the objective, an approximate cost of the modification, and the approximate additional time that would be required to make the modification. All responses should include RFI Solicitation Number W31P4Q-18-R-0147. Interested parties should submit white papers not to exceed 25 pages, with one inch margins, and no smaller than 10-12 point Times New Roman or Courier New font in Microsoft Word or PDF format. All information submitted will be treated confidentially and will not be released outside the Government. All submissions must be clearly marked with the following caption: Releasable to Government Agencies for Evaluation Purposes Only. The Government reserves the right to request further clarification to enhance the Governments understanding of the respondent's submittal. Responses that fail to comply with the above instructions, or present ideas not pertinent to subject, may not be reviewed. Aspects of the design that are proprietary or have usage restrictions such as licensing requirements or restrictions on modifications or operator servicing should be clearly identified. Appropriate proprietary claims will be honored and protected to prevent improper disclosure. Responses shall include only one engine test facility design per submittal, but multiple submittals are permitted. The Government requests that the Respondents deliver one electronic soft copy of UNCLASSIFIED responses within 45 calendar days of the RFI release to Mr. Miroslaw Chodaba via email at miroslaw.chodaba.civ@mail.mil. All submissions should include RFI Solicitation Number W31P4Q-18-R-0147, company CAGE code, and DUNS number. Acknowledgement of receipt will be issued if request for return receipt is included with the response. All information submitted will be adequately safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR Part 15.207. All responses must be submitted as described above.
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