03-Attachment A_Technical Specifications_BGS_Coal Analysis Contract.pdf

Attachment A

Technical Specifications

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Geological Survey

Coal-Analysis Services

1. QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS

Failure of the Contractor (herein defined as a single organization or company) to comply with any or all of the following requirements and specifications of the Contract will be considered unacceptable, resulting in rejection of the Bid.

1.1 The Contractor must follow and adhere to the current ASTM International Standards, hereafter designated “ASTM Standards,” for all coal analyses and coal-sample preparation work required as part of this Contract.

1.2 The Contractor must demonstrate (i.e., provide evidence of) active representation of two

(2) or more full-time staff members on ASTM Committee D05 on Coal and Coke.

1.3 The Contractor must demonstrate active participation in the Vanguard Solutions, Inc.

Interlab Round-Robin Testing Program for quality assurance.

1.4 The Contractor must demonstrate that it has performed all coal-analysis methods required as part of this Contract, following ASTM Standards, in its facilities for a period of not less than the past five (5) consecutive calendar years.

1.5 The Contractor must be headquartered and have its facilities located in Pennsylvania. All work must be done at the Contractor’s facilities, as no subcontracting or no joint and multiple proposals for work are permitted.

1.6 Because Department (Bureau of Geological Survey) staff travel frequently via the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) between their two offices in the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh areas and to greatly facilitate in a timely manner and to economize delivery and pick up of coal samples by Department staff (see Sections 3.1 and 3.2), the Contractor’s facilities must be located within 25 miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.

2. DESCRIPTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS OF REQUIRED SERVICES

The Contractor will perform the various specified and required coal analyses as described in the current “Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 05.06: Gaseous Fuels; Coal and Coke;

Catalysts; Bioenergy and Industrial Chemicals from Biomass.” The descriptions of required coal analyses follow and include specific ASTM Standards “D” numbers as specifications, which cover methods and procedures, although newer (i.e., higher numbered) ASTM Standards may be substituted if alternative “D” numbers are clearly indicated by the Contractor. Also included and defined are grouped items of specific analyses that may be routinely requested and required.

2.1 ASTM D167: Specific Gravity, Apparent

2.2 ASTM D409: Hardgrove Grindability Index

2.3 ASTM D720: Free Swelling Index (FSI)

2.4 ASTM D1412: Moisture, Equilibrium

2.5 ASTM D1857: Ash Fusion (Reducing Atmosphere)

2.6 ASTM D2492: Sulfur Forms

2.7 ASTM D3172: Proximate Analysis (Moisture (M), Ash (A), Volatile Matter (VM), Fixed Carbon (FC))

2.8 ASTM D3174: Ash Content

2.9 ASTM D3176: Ultimate Analysis (M, A, C, H, N, S, O)

2.10 ASTM D3302: Moisture, Total

2.11 ASTM D3761: Fluorine, Total

2.12 ASTM D4208: Chlorine, Total

2.13 ASTM D4239: Sulfur, Total

2.14 ASTM D4606: Selenium, Total

2.15 ASTM D5865: BTUs/Gross Calorific Value

2.16 ASTM D6357: Elements, Rare Earth (Group of 16, including Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, La, Lu, Nd, Pr, Sm, Sc, Tb, Tm, Yb, and Y)

2.17 ASTM D6357: Elements, Trace (Group of 37, including Al, Sb, As, Ba, Be, Bi, B, Cd, Ca, Cs, Cr, Co, Cu, Ge, Fe, Pb, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, P, K, Rb, Si, Ag, Na, Sr, S, Tl, Th, Sn, Ti, U, V, Zn, and Zr)

2.18 ASTM D6722: Mercury, Total

2.19 ASTM Various Methods: Proximate/Ultimate/BTU/FSI (Group includes items in Sections 2.7, 2.9, 2.3, and 2.15)

2.20 ASTM Various Methods: Proximate/Ultimate/BTU/FSI/Fusion/Sulfur Forms (Group includes items in Sections 2.7, 2.9, 2.3, 2.15, 2.5, and 2.6)

2.21 ASTM D2013: Sample Preparation (as needed)

2.22 ASTM Not Applicable: Prepared Sample Splits/Return Shipping (as needed)

3. DELIVERY AND PICK UP OF SAMPLES

3.1 The Department will be responsible for the delivery of coal samples to the Contractor’s facility and will notify the Contractor beforehand to ensure that the time of delivery is mutually agreeable to the Department and the Contractor. Samples submitted to the Contractor for coal analysis will generally represent core samples and channel samples.

Sample size (weight) will generally run between 5 and 20 pounds and will in no case exceed 50 pounds. Samples will be clearly identified and labeled and will be accompanied with an inventory of the samples submitted and written instructions of the coal analyses to be run (this information will also be sent by email to the Contractor beforehand).

3.2 After all necessary coal sample splits are prepared and all required coal analyses are completed for a specified sample, all remaining residual coal material (coal splits), if any, will be saved and returned to the Department. The returned coal splits will be double-bagged and heat-sealed in at least 4-mil-thick polyethylene, clearly identified, and labeled with the same information as the delivered samples but also with the laboratory number, grind (mesh) size, and weight (label to be placed between the inner and outer bags), and carefully stored until time of pick up by the Department. The Contractor will notify the Department in writing (email is acceptable) when the coal splits are available for pick up. In some cases, however, the Department may provide the Contractor with written instructions where it should ship specific coal sample splits for further study or analysis.

4. SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONS AND PREPARATION

4.1 The coal analyses to be performed will follow the written instructions (work orders) provided by the Department for the specified samples submitted.

4.2 The Contractor will prepare sample splits as needed, in accordance with ASTM D2013, to meet the requirements of the various specified coal analyses. In some cases, however, when benched coal samples are submitted, the Department may require a specified coal analysis be made only on the entire (whole) coal seam and will instruct the Contractor first to combine two or more splits of the coal benches together by weighted averaging, using the thicknesses measured for each bench, to obtain a composite, whole-seam sample to use for the analysis.

The Contractor may also be instructed to prepare sample splits of various size (weight) and grind (e.g., +8 mesh, +20 mesh, etc.) to meet the needs of the Department for use in other investigations or studies.

4.3 After all necessary coal sample splits are prepared and all required coal analyses are completed for a specified sample, all remaining residual coal material, if any, will be saved and returned to the Department (see Section 3.2).

5. TEST REPORTS AND DATA TRANSMITTAL

5.1 Hardcopy: Unless otherwise mutually agreed to by the Department and the Contractor, the heading (i.e., header information) for each and every analysis sheet of the test report (i.e., for each sample analyzed) will include at least the following information, when supplied by the Department—name of client (Pennsylvania Geological Survey, DCNR), date of report, Pennsylvania Geological Survey identification number, laboratory number, name of county, name of township, name of state, name of 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle, name of coal seam, and sample thickness (in decimal feet). Specific coal analyses will be reported in units and number of decimal places that are appropriate to the ASTM Standard. Further, coal analyses, as appropriate, will be reported on as-received, dry, and dry ash-free bases. Air-dry loss and residual moisture will be reported. The Contractor will send a minimum of two (2) paper copies of each analysis sheet to the attention of Clifford H. Dodge, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, DCNR, 3240 Schoolhouse Road, Middletown, PA 17057–3534.

5.2 Electronic: An Adobe PDF version of the hardcopy for each coal-analysis test report, as described above in Section 5.1, will be sent by email to Clifford H. Dodge at cdodge@pa.gov.

In addition, the complete results of the coal analyses for each specified sample will be reported on an as-received basis, as appropriate, in an Excel file and emailed to Clifford H.

Dodge at cdodge@pa.gov.

5.3 Delivery: The Contractor will complete all coal analyses and send all test results (i.e., the analyses in the various formats as described in Sections 5.1 and 5.2) to the Department (Bureau of Geological Survey) within thirty (30) calendar days after receiving the coal samples for analysis mailto:cdodge@pa.gov mailto:cdodge@pa.gov