Defense Special Weapons Agency, 6801 Telegraph Rd., Alexandria, VA 22310-3398

A -- IN-CORE THERMIONICS DEVELOPMENT POC Michael Richman, Negotiator, (703) 325-6671, Scott G. Morton, Contracting Officer, (703) 325-1200. The Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) has a requirement for the research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) of advanced in-core thermionic technologies to support long duration space missions for national security purposes. DSWA's focus is on the advancement of thermionic performance rather than on overall system design improvements, since no specific mission has yet been identified on which to base detailed system requirements. The objectives of DSWA's Advanced Thermionics Program are to advance the state of the art of thermionic power conversion in the United States, develop high performance and highly reliable thermionic converters that provide high output power per unit of system mass, demonstrate the capabilities of these thermionic converters, show their feasibility for use in thermionic systems and develop corresponding system level conceptual designs. This effort will be limited to identification and RDT&E of in-core thermionic fuel elements (TFEs) and pieceparts to support high power (40+kWe), long duration (5+ years) space missions. The advanced TFEs shall be fully testable at prototypic thermal conditions with electric heaters substituted for the nuclear fuel to reduce time and cost of future system development and to enhance logistics and acceptance testing of subsequent flight systems. This effort will last approximately 15 months, culminating in the manufacture of a TFE of the approved design and electrical testing of that TFE to demonstrate its performance. Additionally, the contractor will be required to demonstrate, through validated models, that the system level design concept supports the power requirements stated above using demonstrated TFE performance. A SECRET security clearance is required. DSWA anticipates release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) on or about 21 October 1996. A Forecast to Industry/Pre-Proposal Conference is scheduled to be held at the Crystal City Marriott (Forum Conference Room) on 31 October 1996 (Note this follows the DSWA Agency-Wide Forecast to Industry on 30 October 1996). Additional information on the conference will be included in the solicitation when it becomes available. All requests for the RFP must be in writing and shall be faxed to the attention of Michael Richman at (703) 325-9295. If the request is faxed, no original copy is required. All responsible sources may submit an offer which will be considered. Information on DSWA solicitations already released can be obtained by calling the DNA Hotline at (703) 325-1173. As of 31 May 96, Acquisition Management has added ''Procurement Opportunities'' to the DSWA Home Page available on the World Wide Web. Information will include this synopsis and more. Please check us out at www.dswa.mil. Reference Synopsis No. 96-104 (0274)

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