USDA-ARS-MWA, Contracting Office, 1815 N. University Street, Peoria, IL 61604

66 -- WIPED FILM EVAPORATOR SYSTEM SOL 5114-9-3109 DUE 020999 POC Lori J. Houghton, Contract Specialist, 309-681-6616 The USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Midwest Area, National Center for Agriculture Utilization Research, Peoria, IL has the requirement for a Wiped Film Evaporator System. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation No. 5114-9-3109 is being issued as a Request for Proposal. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-10. The solicitation is solicited under full and open competition. Any interested business may submit a proposal. Standard Industrial Classification Code 3826 with a corresponding size standard of 500 employees applies to qualify as a small business. Offerors are to propose prices for the following: CLIN (Contract Line Item Number) 0001: Feed System 1 each; CLIN 0002 Wiped Film Evaporator 1 each; CLIN 0003 Vacuum System 1 each; CLIN 0004 Evaporator heating System 1 each; CLIN 0005 Condenser Heating/Cooling System 1 each; CLIN 0006 Discharge System, 1 each; CLIN 0007 Instrumentation 1 each; CLIN 0008 Controls, 1 each. The application of the system is: We are interested in procuring a pilot-scale wiped film evaporator (WFE) system suitable for the separation and recovery of heat sensitive components from low to medium viscosity (< 500 centipoise) liquid-phase solutions. Typical components to be separated and recovered from solutions include fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, tocopherols, structurally similar natural products, derivatized reaction products, residual reactants, and solvents. The operation of the system will be: The WFE system would operate under high vacuum (1 micron Hg absolute pressure) to evaporate the more volatile components from the bulk solution at a lower temperature than could be obtained inconventional distillation equipment. The solution to be separated would be pumped into the body of the wiped film evaporator by a variable speed gear pump and distributed as a thin film along the inner heated surface by a rotating wiper mechanism. The more volatile components are vaporized from the thin film of solution flowing down the heated evaporator wall. An internal condenser located within the body of the evaporator condenses these volatile components as a product stream (distillate) which flows out of the unit. The less volatile components of the film continue to flow down the inner surface of the evaporator body and out of the unit as a separate stream (residue). This operation is generally described as short-path or molecular distillation. The configuration of the system will be: The WFE system will be assembled on a mobile platform of approximate dimensions not exceeding 6 ft (length) x 4 ft (width) x 7 ft (height) to allow relocation of the system into pilot plant bays for research projects. The platform should accommodate all of the major system components. These components include the feed and discharge pumps, evaporator/condenser/wiper assembly, vacuum system, heating and cooling modules, control station, and associated piping, valves, instrumentation and wiring. The WFE system should be designed and constructed for intrinsically safe operation. The necessary utilities available in the pilot plant include electricity, cooling water, tempered water, steam, air, nitrogen, vent and drain lines. The System Component Description and Specifications are as follows: CLIN 0001 Feed system: A precision gear pump capable of 0 -- 30 liter/hour flow rate, equipped with a variable speed motor, controller, and digital RPM display will be used to introduce material into the system. The pump head should be fabricated of stainless steel and inert elastomer sealing materials, e. g., Teflon, Viton, Kel-f, Vespel or similar polymers. The pump lines should be equipped with a check valve, drain or sample valve, and apriming loop. The inlet line and final connection from the pump to the evaporator body should be flexible stainless steel. A 10 gallon stainless steel feed tank is required and provided with fittings to match the inlet pump line. CLIN 0002 Wiped film evaporator: The evaporator body should be fabricated from 316 or 304 stainless steel with 1 to 2 square feet of heated internal surface area. The wiper mechanism should be fitted with Teflon blades and supplied with a spare set of carbon blades. A variable speed motor equipped with a controller and digital RPM display should drive the wiper. An internal condenser constructed of a similar grade stainless steel as the evaporator and with a total surface area greater than or equal to the evaporator should be used. A low-pressure-drop entrainment barrier should be located between the evaporator and the condenser to prevent liquid droplets from reaching the condenser. CLIN 0003 Vacuum system: A combined vacuum system (medium and high) is recommended and should be sized appropriately to maintain an absolute pressure of 1 micron Hg during typical system operation and in the presence of small (virtual) system leaks. Interconnection of the medium (mechanical) and high (diffusion) vacuum pumps should provide for fail-safe operation by incorporating adequate valving, vents, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, oil traps, alarms, and throttling controls. Sections of flexible stainless line should be included between pumps to minimize the transmission of vibrations. Medium vacuum should be generated by a multistage, dry, mechanical pump (lobed, Roots, or similar design acceptable). This pump should not use oil, water, or other fluids to provide the vacuum seal due to the possibility of system contamination by back-streaming of the fluid sealing medium. An oil lubrication system is acceptable for pump bearings and internals but should be sufficiently isolated from the vacuum side of the pump. This pump (a.k.a. the "backing" or "roughing" pump) should be adequately sized to rapidly evacuate the WFE system to near 100 micron Hg. The pump may run hot to prevent condensation of volatiles but should be equipped with a thermocouple and alarm to alert personnel if a safe operating temperature is exceeded. The pump may require interstage coolers or provisions for cooling water depending on the specific design and model. High vacuum may be generated by an oil diffusion pump or turbo-molecular drag pump operating in connection with the above described medium vacuum pump. The diffusion pump should be provided with an initial supply of oil. Similar remarks apply to the sizing of this component and interconnection to the rest of the system as above. A cold trap is required to remove condensable materials that pass through the condenser to the vacuum system. A cold trap fabricated from stainless steel with provision for use with liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide is recommended. A site-glass, a small receiver, and associated valving to permit draining of accumulated condensate without breaking system vacuum is suggested. CLIN 0004 Evaporator heating system: Heat transfer to the evaporator surface may be provided by electrical resistance heaters or circulating hot oil. Either system should be sized appropriately for the evaporator to deliver a sufficient quantity of heat to produce a maximum temperature of 350 E C at the evaporator surface. If a hot oil system is used it should be provided with an initial quantity of heat transfer oil. CLIN 0005 Condenser heating/cooling system: The condenser heating/cooling system should be capable of circulating either chilled or tempered water as required by the process. The capacity of the circulator should be matched to the size of the condenser. CLIN 0006 Discharge system: Two precision gear pumps capable of 0 -- 30 liter/hour flow rate, equipped with variable speed motors, controllers, and digital RPM displays should be provided to separately discharge distillate and residue from the system. As with the feed pump, these pump heads should be fabricated of stainless steel and inert elastomer sealing materials. The pump lines should be equipped with check valves, drain or sample valves, and priming loops as required. Intermediate receivers with graduated site-glasses should be located upstream of the pumps with appropriate valving to collect and drain the discharge streams. Sections of flexible stainless steel lines should be used on the inlet and outside sides of the pumps to minimize vibrations and to provide easy connection to the final collection vessels. Two 10 gallon stainless steel collection vessels are to be provided with fittings to match the pump outlet lines. CLIN 0007 Instrumentation: Sufficient instrumentation to monitor and display all process parameters will be required. As a minimum we recommend digital displays for temperatures, pressures, and motor and wiper speeds at all critical points in the system. These may be integrated with control elements where appropriate. We suggest temperature sensors on the inlet and outlet side of the evaporator heating, condenser cooling, feed, residue, and distillate pump streams (10). Temperature sensors also should be located on the hot oil, cooling water, and tempered water reservoirs (3). The foreline, roughing line, and evaporator body or vent line should have temperature and pressure sensors (3, 3). The high and medium vacuum pumps should be equipped with temperature sensors and alarms to alert operators of high-temperature conditions (2). The cold trap may be equipped with a temperature sensor also (1). Where possible, it is desired to specify components such as transducers, signal conditioners, or controllers that provide for the re-transmission of the measured signal via an RS-232 or similar digital connection. This option is useful for future data logging capabilities and typically is a minimum additional charge when specified at the time of order compared to retrofitting or upgrading an existing system. CLIN 0008 Controls: A centrally located control panel should be mounted on the system to permit a single operator to safely monitor and control the process. The control system does not need to be fully automated but should contain a convenient grouping of process instrument displays (see section g), alarms, main power switches, motor starters, and PID controllers. PID controllers specified for evaporator heating and condenser cooling loops should be specified with one extra channel each to provide expansion of the system for multiple zones. Similar remarks apply here for the specification of RS-232 connections on control elements as for the instrumentation described above. Offerors shall submit Descriptive Literature describing their proposed equipment in enough detail to ascertain whether the equipment meets the criteria listed above. Failure to demonstrate compliance will be cause to reject the proposal without further discussions. FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial, FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation -- Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items, and FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items apply to this acquisition. Proposals will be evaluated on price, past performance, and proof of meeting the salient characteristics listed above. Offers to include a commercial warranty for equipment. Payment will be made 30 calendar days after acceptance of equipment. Equipment will be shipped FOB Destination to: National Center for Agriculture Utilization Research, 1815 North University Street, Peoria, IL 61604. Delivery of equipment desired to be within 12 weeks after receipt of award (however delivery is negotiable). Offer must include a 30 calendar day acceptance period. Offers are to be received Not Later than the Close of Business, February 9, 1999 at USDA-ARS-MWA, Contracting Office, 1815 N. University Street, Peoria, IL 61604. The POC for this acquisition is Lori J. Houghton, (309) 681-6616, or E-Mail: houghtol@mwa.ars.usda.gov, or FAX: (309) 681-6680. Faxed Proposals will not be accepted. Posted 01/20/99 (W-SN289419). (0020)

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