B08_Attachment_2_Statement_of_Work.docx

Performance Work Statement - Statement of Work X-ray Diffraction analyses for mineralogy of rock samples I. Introduction: Most minerals are crystalline and therefore scatter X-rays in a regular, characteristic way dependent on their crystal structure. Each mineral produces a unique diffraction pattern and can be identified from that pattern like a fingerprint. Identification of minerals is made by comparing their diffraction patterns with a library of mineral patterns stored in a database such as the International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD). Detection limits depend on the sample. For geological material, it is estimated that the minerals present in less than 2% of the sample might not be detected. The samples for X-ray diffraction analysis are ground or milled to a fine powder and then loaded into a sample holder. Approximately one cubic centimeter of the material is sufficient for rock mineral analysis, but smaller amounts can also be accommodated.

a. Background: The Alaska Basins and Petroleum Systems Project (ABPSP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a need for mineralogical analyses. The analysis from XRD (X-ray Diffraction) are critical to the ABPSP’s research efforts and resource assessments. Specific analytical results required are: 1) Whole rock Mineralogy where minerals are identified, and their amounts determined using a whole pattern fit or Rietveld method. 2) These rocks contain abundant clay minerals so paired identification and quantification of amorphous glass, mixed layer illite and smectite group minerals will be required on the samples. The clay fraction should be separated from the bulk sample by centrifuge of material suspended in water and analyzed by repeat XRD measurements on the air-dried fraction and an ethylene glycol solvated fraction. These analyses are performed on different types of petroleum source rocks and reservoir rocks to further our understanding of the fundamental geologic processes responsible for the accumulation of major petroleum accumulations in the United States.

b. Definitions:

i. XRD: X-ray Diffraction

ii. Mineral Identification: The identification and determination of relative abundances of minerals in a mixture

iii. Reitveldt: A mathematical software package used to determine relative abundance of crystalline material in a mixture

iv. Panalytical X’pert diffractometer – x-ray diffractometer using a copper or cobalt radiation source II. Scope: Services, non-personal, to provide all equipment, instrumentation and materials (unless otherwise already provided herein) necessary to perform mineralogical analysis on shale samples. An analysis request for 84 samples shall be submitted for whole rock XRD mineralogical analysis using Reitveldt and or whole pattern fitting techniques, and clay speciation.

III. Technical Requirements:

a. Analytical requirements

i. The ABPSP shall send samples to contractor at the ABPSP expense

ii. Contractor shall prepare the samples for quantitative analysis using the internal standard method which shall include addition of a known amount of corundum (or other crystalline standard) to be mixed with the sample submitted for analysis.

iii. For whole rock part of workflow, contractor shall report estimates for muscovite/illite, chlorite, and kaolinite. The identification and quantification of mixed layer illite, and smectite is inherently ambiguous using powder diffraction with the corundum method without additional analyses such as clay speciation.

iv. Contractor shall report estimates for mixed layer illite and smectite using a clay speciation method coupled with a whole pattern fit technique for relative abundance estimates in the whole rock sample.

v. Contractor shall analyze samples for quantitative mineralogy using a Panalytical X’pert Pro diffractometer or similarly configured instrument using a copper radiation source.

vi. Contractor shall report raw .xrdml files generated by the contractor’s lab, as needed. The reported raw .xrdml files will include in the title the unique ID provided for each sample by the ABPSP.

vii. Contractor shall input analytical results into Excel spreadsheet, to include the following:

1. Report:

a. Each sample shall include the unique ABPSP sample ID provided on the sample label.

b. All data will be reported by the contractor using the same format for all samples submitted under this contract.

2. If requested, remaining sample material will be returned to the ABPSP at ABPSP expense.

3. All billing will include the ABPSP unique sample ID’s.

viii. Turnaround time for completion of analyses shall be no more than 6 weeks per batch submitted.

b. Criteria for acceptance of product or service:

i. Duplicate samples will be submitted to validate mineral analysis as well as analysis of blinds of known composition. If the contractor results do not meet the ABPSP acceptance criteria, then the entire batch of samples are to be reanalyzed at no additional cost to the ABPSP. Reanalysis is to occur within 6 weeks from the notification to the vendor that the results do not meet acceptance criteria.

ii. Refinements will be cross checked by USGS experts since there shall be agreement to share raw data files.

IV. Deliverables: The vendor will deliver the results outlined in III.a. & III.b. to the ABPSP geoscientists via email. All results will remain confidential unless otherwise specifically stated by the ABPSP.

V. Supporting Information

i. Place of Performance:

Contractor’s laboratory

ii. Estimated Period of Performance:

September 2025 through September 2026 or earlier if analyses and billing is complete VI. Government Furnished Property:

Ground rock samples for analyses.

VII. Contractor Furnished Property/Supplies/Materials:

Except for those items specifically stated to be Government furnished above, the contractor shall furnish everything (supervision, equipment, materials, supplies, incidentals, etc.) required to perform the tasks identified in this contract in accordance with the contract requirements.