B08_BAA_FBO_Notice.Ice_Management_for_Vessel_Oil_Recovery_Systems.pdf

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT

BSEE Opportunity Number 140E0118R0011

Ice Management for Vessel Oil Recovery Systems

DESCRIPTION

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Oil Spill Preparedness Division is requesting proposals to be submitted in accordance with the terms of this announcement. This notice constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as contemplated in Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016. A formal Request for Proposals (RFP) and/or solicitation regarding this announcement is attached. BSEE anticipates that a total of

$400,000.00 will be available for the scientific research described in this announcement.

BSEE reserves the right to select for award and fund all, one, more than one, or none of the proposals submitted in response to this announcement. Additionally, BSEE reserves the right to accept proposals in their entirety or to select only portions of proposals for award. In the event that BSEE desires to award only portions of a proposal, negotiations may be opened with that

Offeror. BSEE will not issue paper copies of this announcement. BSEE provides no funding for reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and cost proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this BAA will not be returned. It is the policy of BSEE to treat all proposals as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation. Post award debriefs will not be given to unsuccessful offerors.

Area of Interest

This purpose of this BAA is directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge in the development of a system to deflect ice in front of a vessel mounted side skimming system to enhance oil recovery by minimizing ice within the recovery area. This system will target ice coverage of 30% - 70%. A scaled prototype will be tested at the Ohmsett facility.

This project will partner with the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center and the Oil Spill Recovery Institute.

Background

There is a high level of interest in exploring oil and gas resources in the Arctic. These operating environments can be extremely challenging, and require new techniques and technologies for optimum remediation of potential oil spills. One tactic to recover oil in open water is to utilize a vessel mounted boom off of the side of a recovery vessel. The vessel moves into an area of oil to collect oil within the boom. The oil is then recovered with a skimmer. This can be a very effective recovery method in open waters. However, during a response in moderate ice coverage this method becomes difficult due to inability to separate the oil from ice.

Figure 1 – From the CISPRI Tactics Manual, June 2017, Photo from OSRI files

The 1996 Morice Project (Mechanical Oil Recovery in Ice Infested Waters) assessed various methods for managing ice during oil recovery operations (BSEE project 310). One idea was to develop a grated plough shaped deflector (Figure 2) which could be located at the mouth of a boom to prevent ice and allow oil and water to pass through for recovery. A spraying system could be utilized to clean the ice at the deflector. Challenges with this design included ice piling up at the grate and oil being deflected from the grate along with the ice. This idea was assessed by project reviewers as having medium potential. Comments in the evaluation of this system stated that it “relies on effective, high flow-rate flushing to push oil towards and through the grating.”

The idea was recommended for larger scale testing, but was ultimately not chosen for the project’s

Phase III development.

Figure 2 - From Mechanical Oil Recovery In Ice Infested Waters (MORICE) – Phase 1 Report https://www.bsee.gov/research-record/osrr-310-mechanical-oil-recovery-ice-infested-waters-morice

In 2000 a barge deflection system was tested for its ability to deflect ice in front of a boomed area.

Observations during this test included concerns similar to those expressed with the grated plough shaped deflector; ice tended to pile up along the grate which would limit the oil’s flow to the https://www.bsee.gov/research-record/osrr-310-mechanical-oil-recovery-ice-infested-waters-morice https://www.bsee.gov/research-record/osrr-310-mechanical-oil-recovery-ice-infested-waters-morice recovery area. Additional concerns included the difficulty in handling this system and the anticipated complication this could add to the recovery operation. See Figure 3 below for views of this test.

Figure 3 – pictures of 2000 Test of Barge Deflection System – from BSEE files

In 2007 The Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) www.pws-osri.org ran a number of InnoCentive challenges to solicit ideas for enhancing oil recovery in an arctic environment. One of the challenge winners presented an idea that potentially could enhance the concepts described above.

In the Novel Boom System concept, a system would utilize a rotating net to deflect ice from the mouth of a boom while allowing oil to pass through the net. The net would be mounted on rollers and a brush located at the end of the net would remove any accumulating ice chunks as the net rolled by the brush (Figure 4 and Figure 5).

The following is a summary of the Principle of Operation as described in the winning submission:

As the vessel moves, a stream of water with pieces of ice is directed towards the vessel. The net hold back pieces of ice while allowing water with oil to pass through. The net is directed at angle to a water current and is moved by rollers and the electric motor, so that pieces of ice do not accumulate on a net (Figure 6). The brush clears a net from of small chunks and slush ice.

Selecting an angle between a water current and the net, and also speed of the net’s rotation can optimize conditions for separation of oil from ice.

http://www.pws-osri.org/

Figure 4 – View of Novel Boom System - From OSRI’s InnoCentive Challenge Submission

Figure 5 – Side View of Novel Boom System - From OSRI’s InnoCentive Challenge Submission

Figure 6 – Side View of Novel Boom System - From OSRI’s InnoCentive Challenge Submission

The following were some of the advantages of this system as described in the submission:

1. The system is able to operate in ice covered waters if the net is designed with sufficient strength

2. Maintains open water efficiency in the presence of small chunks and slush ice

3. The separation occurs by the movement of the ship

4. The system is deployable from a single vessel

Potentially a net could be replaced with chain and cleats to provide a more substantial method for moving ice.

Area of Interest Requirements

1. System Design: The selected contractor will design a system that will effectively deflect ice in front of a forward moving vessel equipped with a side deployed boom system while allowing oil to flow into the boomed area. This system shall be designed to meet the following performance goals:

a. Be able to be used with an existing vessel mounted side skimming system. This could include USCG vessels such as the USCG Ice Breaker Healy or the USCG

Juniper class buoy tenders that operate in Alaska. It could also include vessels that respond in the Alaska area including Cook Inlet or the Prince William Sound.

Minimize ice accumulation within a boomed recovery area as vessel moves through an area of ice and oil (targeted 30%-70% ice field and 1 knot travel speed)

Maximize oil flow into the boomed recovery area. This will require the ice to be rotated or tumbled at the system interface to allow oil between ice chunks to flow to the recovery area

Consider different sizes of ice that may need to be deflected

Include capability to spray ice at the interface area to remove oil that adheres to the ice

b. Deflect the ice and prevent buildup of ice along the system interface

c. Operate in conditions as would be found in an arctic environment such as temperature extremes, exposure to salt water, and UV exposure.

d. Minimize storage requirements

e. Minimize system complexity

f. Minimize Deck Space required for operation

g. Consider ease of setup

h. Not impede ability of skimmer to be moved in and out of the recovery area

The ability to handle debris such as logs, twig, kelp is desired for use in other than ice conditions

2. Build Prototype for testing: The contractor will build a scaled prototype for testing at the

Ohmsett facility in January or February, 2020. See www.Ohmsett.com for a description of the facility. For testing, the system will be mounted to the Ohmsett bridge and moved down the main tank to simulate forward movement of a vessel. Expected tow speed would be approximately 0.7-

1 knot. The proposal should include cost associated with travel of personnel to and from the test facility. However, the facility’s cost for the test itself will be funded separately. The prototype will be considered a deliverable to be retained by BSEE at the end of the contract.

The proposal should include a discussion of anticipated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at end of prototype test. The anticipated TRL level at project end would be 4 or 5. Refer to the following URL to obtain the report describing TRL levels applicable to oil spill response.

www.bsee.gov/Technology-and-Research/Oil-Spill-Response-Research/Projects/Project1042/

Management Planning, and Reporting

The Contractor shall implement a full range of science and engineering activities as required to meet the area of interest. The Contractor shall supply all labor, equipment, and materials necessary to accomplish the work, with the exception of those items available at the test facility.

All questions, including questions of a technical nature, shall be directed to the Contracting

Officer specified below:

Charles Cernat

Contracting Officer

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

Acquisition Operations Branch

45600 Woodland Drive

Sterling, VA 20166 email: Charles.Cernat@bsee.gov

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

This BAA is open to all responsible sources qualified to receive awards in accordance with the

FAR. Please see attached Request for Proposal for instructions.

AWARD INFORMATION

Any award will be made in accordance with the FAR. The prime Contractor should be clearly designated for each proposal. Additional information is discussed below.

a. Total Amount of Funding Available: Approximately $400,000.00 over 18 months is anticipated to be available for this BAA, subject to availability and final approval by BSEE.

b. Anticipated Award Types: A firm fixed price contract is anticipated.

c. Anticipated Period of Performance for Awards: Eighteen (18) months http://www.bsee.gov/Technology-and-Research/Oil-Spill-Response-Research/Projects/Project1042/ mailto::%20Charles.Cernat@bsee.gov from date of award.

d. Proposal evaluations are anticipated to be completed by November 2018, with an anticipated award made in fall /winter of 2018.

However, proposal selection and award decisions are solely the responsibility of Government personnel. The final distribution of a contract award (s) will depend on quality of proposals received and funding Agency priorities and availability of funds.

Written proposals must be received on or before 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time on October 04, 2018. Please note it is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure/verify that the Bureau of Safety and

Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Acquisition Operations Branch receives their submission on or before the time specified. If a proposal is not received on or before the date and time specified, the Offeror’s submission will be considered late.

(a) Proposals shall be sent electronically to: charles.cernat@bsee.gov