The Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Department of Physics and Astronomy/144 Bloomberg Building, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218

66 -- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FROM COMMERCIAL SOURCES FOR TWO PURGE GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS Sol RFI-96-002. Due 073196. Contact Mr. Randy B. Ewing, Sr. Subcontractors Administrator, 410/516-7687; Ms. Susanna S. Ormond, Contract/Compliance Officer, 410/516-4378; Mr. Steve Conard, Integration & Test Manager, 410/516-8390. Under NASA Prime Contract No. NAS5-32985, The Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) program, is conducting a survey for two (2) commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) Purge Gas Distribution Systems. The system(s) will used to deliver purge gas (Nitrogen) to The FUSE instrument, and to components of the instrument at earlier stages of assembly. The FUSE instrument is extremely sensitive to contamination from hydrocarbons, silicones, and water vapor. The system(s) will be used in a variety of locations to include; Universities, NASA installations, and onboard truck transportation and will be located in laboratories or in clean room (class 10,000). The system(s) shall be ``user friendly'' as they will be used by students, scientists and engineers. The system(s) shall comply with applicable OSHA and other pertinent requirements. The purge system(s) shall use both high pressure dry nitrogen bottles and facility nitrogen boil-off as their sources, switching between both manually and automatically. They shall regulate output pressures from 0 to 70 psi at a delivery rate range of 0 to 150 cubic foot per hour, providing gauges for pressure and flow rate. The output gas will be thermally controlled to insure that it is between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, with room temperature high pressure or cold boil-off gas as the source. Electronic monitoring of flow rate, input and output pressure, output gas temperature, and output gas water vapor content is desirable. They will each be composed of 2 pieces; one which will hold up to six 9 x 55 high pressure (``K'') bottles of nitrogen and high pressure regulation, the other containing filters, monitoring, and distribution hardware. They shall employ filters and absorbers to control particulate, water vapor, and hydrocarbon contamination in the output gas. They shall be fabricated from low contaminating materials, such as stainless steel, Teflon, and Viton. The Purge System Specifications and other pertinent information, may be accessed on the Internet at http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/fuse/rfi/rfi2.html. Technical Information is requested on potential candidate systems/products to meet requirements outlined therein. Responses are requested by 31 July 1996. Commercial brochures and technical information may be submitted in hardcopy or via electronic media to: Mr. Randy B. Wing, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Physics and Astronomy/144 Bloomberg Building, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, (410) 516-7687 (rbewing@pha.jhu.edu). This synopsis is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment on the part of The Johns Hopkins University to purchase the Purge Gas Distribution Systems. (192)

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