National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bldg. 101, Rm. A430, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

A -- PUBLIC MEETING SOL Q- POC Customer Representative 1-800-287-3863 Department of Commerce Technology Administration National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Bldg. 101, Rm. A430, Gaithersburg, MD Date: February 2, 1995 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING: The NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is soliciting proposals under its focused program competition, Vapor Compression Refrigeration Technology (95-06) and announces a public meeting (Proposers' Conference) for all interested parties. An estimated $10 million in first-year ATP funding is available under this focused program competition 95-06. The ATP reserves the right to utilize for this competition more or less funding than the amount stated above, depending on the quality of the proposals received. The actual number of proposals funded will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the amount of funding requested in the highest ranked proposals. Outyear funding is contingent on the approval of future Congressional appropriations and satisfactory program performance. This is the first of three solicitations planned for this ATP focused program. Two additional competitions are planned, the second of which should occur about 12 months after the initial competition. Award recipients will be required to share non-proprietary information at workshops which will be held throughout the duration of the program. The ATP operates under program procedures published at Part 295, Title 15, of the Code of Federal Regulations. The ATP Proposal Preparation Kit (containing proposal cover sheets, other required forms, background material, and instructions for submission of proposals) and the focused program paper entitled ''Vapor Compression Refrigeration Technology, Supplemental Information Program Competition 95-06,'' may be obtained by phone (1-800-ATP- FUND), fax (301-926-9524), e-mail (atp@micf.nist.gov), or written request at the address shown below. Only FULL proposals are being solicited under this focused program competition 95-06. Abbreviated/pre-proposals WILL NOT be accepted. Proposals submitted by facsimile or electronic mail WILL NOT be accepted. If a proposer's proposal is judged to be of high enough quality to be invited in for an oral review, ATP reserves the right to submit a list of questions to the proposer that must be addressed at the oral review. The due date for submission of full proposals is 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 19, 1995. Should the NIST facility be closed on the specified due date, ATP proposals will be due at 3 p.m. EST on the next business day that the NIST facility is open. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered. Decisions on the awards for this competition should be made within three months after full proposals are received. Send proposals to: Advanced Technology Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Administration Bldg. 101, Rm. A430, Quince Orchard & Clopper Roads, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001. Mark envelope Focused Program 95- 06. The vision of this five-year Vapor Compression Refrigeration Technology focused program is to provide U.S. manufacturers with the technical basis for developing lower cost and better performing products than all foreign competitors by the turn of the century. By the end of this five-year focused program, the technical goal is to demonstrate the following benchmarks with sufficient cost and performance detail to allow subsequent business decisions: (1) refrigerant compressors with reduced size, noise levels significantly below the quietest products currently available and 25% increase in system efficiency; (2) manufacturing and materials technology that will result in approaching zero refrigerant system leakage for the expected life of the system; (3) heat exchanger and air moving technologies with 25% reduced component size and with noise levels significantly below the quietest products currently available; and (4) new air cleaning technologies with superior performance that could be designed and manufactured as an integral part of the air conditioning system. The technical scope of this program is to include high risk generic research and development projects which are specifically and directly linked to the vision and technical goal of the program as outlined above. The first solicitation focusses on all four technical benchmarks and should address generic research and development. In later competitions, the program scope may also promote demonstrations (on various scales) which directly relate to the areas of potential commercial products. Mini-centrifugal compressor technologies and associated motor and motor-drive technologies are expected to be a major focus of this program; however, other compressor technologies that could meet the technical goal of the program will be considered. In a similar way, air cleaning technologies expected to be considered are photocatalytic oxidation, graphite porous particles, activated oxygen cleanup, and zeolite membranes. Other gaseous and particulate removal technologies that could meet the technical goal of the program will be considered. Although the program has been designed to focus specifically on competitive technologies for unitary air-cooled equipment in the 3 to 100 ton capacity range, technologies that would apply to this type of equipment but could also be used for other types of cooling, refrigeration, and air-cleaning equipment will also be considered. This focused competition will not accept proposals which differ in content and focus from the scope noted above. A public meeting (Proposers' Conference) for potential proposers and other interested parties will be held from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. EST on February 21, 1995, at the Holiday Inn, 2 Montgomery Village Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD (Interstate I-270, Exit 11). The purpose of the meeting is to provide general information regarding the ATP, hints on preparing good proposals, and to answer questions on the scope and technical and business goals of this focused program. Attendance at this public meeting is not required. No registration fee will be charged. In case of severe weather, please call NIST's Facilities Status Line 301-975-6478, for a pre-recorded message of the status of NIST opening. IF NIST is closed, there will be no meeting, but will be rescheduled. To register for this public meeting or for further information, contact ATP, by phone: 1-800- ATP-FUND; fax: 301-926-9524; or e-mail: atp@micf.nist.gov. (0031)

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