Brand Name Justification 12441924Q0035.pdf

SOLE SOURCE or BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION (FAR 13 Under the SAT)

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES/SERVICES REQUIRED

The National Technology and Development Program Wildland Fire Chemicals Group is seeking an industrial in-line process refractometer to compare against other process monitoring equipment to determine suitability in the field. This sensor is being requested to field test as a business case study to determine if there is a more cost-effective way of running quality control tests for the National Retardant Program.

2. JUSTIFICATION FOR SOLICITING FROM A SINGLE SOURCE or FOR A BRAND NAME

The sensor requires to operate as a quality control sensor inline refractometer as part of the retardant delivery process to safely load airtankers with long-term fire retardants. The accuracy and sensitivity of this equipment is critical to loading product safely. Operating in this environment requires very robust characteristics. Market research has indicated there are only 2 sensor models that meet all the requirements of in-line testing of refractometer measurements for retardant loading operations, each being requested as a sole source for the purposes of comparison in this field study. The sole purpose of this work is to validate a robust sensor that can be compared against existing equipment and sensors and evaluated to perform under the conditions required to load aircraft.

Figure 1 identifies the unique configuration of plumbing to validate and test each of these sensors. Item number 6 in the drawing is specific to the item being requested for in this purchase.

Figure 1. Drawing of airtanker base loading configuration.

The current National Contract for Long-Term Retardant requires a flow rate of 500 gallons per minute, operating under the environmental conditions listed herein. The field requirements of the sensor being requested are as follows:

• Compatible with liquid wildfire retardant salts (usually ammonium phosphates or magnesium chloride) in the lab, using a 10440 scale (refractometer values on this scale are between 7.0 and 20.0). A Brix range of 0 -100 ⁰Bx is required.

• Requires compatibility as installed on a DN 80/3 inch pipe using an L-coupling clamp

• Installed and mounted outdoors (potential 0-30 degree C difference between air and fluid),

• Average flow rate of 500 gallons per minute

• Line pressure will vary from 60psi to 100psi; must be able to operate across the full range.

• Must be able to operate with air bubbles in the fluid from mixing

• Shall be compatible in an environment with minimal vibration

• Density ranges between 1.000g/ml to 1.150 g/ml

• Viscosity varies from 20 - 700 cP at room temperature

• Shall be low-maintenance, easy to operate/clean, and cannot be installed on a bypass line, must be in-line.

• Storage and operating temperature across a range of -40⁰F – +140⁰F

• Operating voltage of 24V DC nominal

• Shall make measurements once a second (1/s)

• Accuracy requirement of 0.1 ⁰Bx is required

• Shall not encumber the airtanker base personnel during daily fire operations

The Vaisala Polaris™ PR53GC Compact Process Refractometer is the Brand Name and part number that was identified to meet all criteria to effectively operate in the field. Pursuing other alternatives could provide lower quality measurements, require more frequent maintenance, and above all may cause safety incidents to airtanker base operators.

Technical Data Information PR53GC Probe Refractometer for sanitary Applications Model: A11A1A1A1A0N

A= R.I. 1.320 -1.530 nD (0 -100Brix) Sapphire Prism

1= Type L Coupling, 60.3mm, Depth 14mm AISI316L 1= Protected Extra Low Voltage, General Purpose areas, 9..30 VDC Supply A= Stainless Steel Housing 1 = Multilingual Quick Guide A= Calibration and Material Certificates 1= No Tag ID Marked on the Device A= Standard Parameters and Settings 1= PUR Halogen Free Cable, 10m, 2x2x22 AWG, Open Wires, IEC60332-1-2 FT1, VW1

A= Standard packaging for probe refractometer 276725 Polaris Chemical Curve Refractive index (nD)

INDIGO520 Transmitter Model: A3N9C0NLAN Display Universal AC-Power (100...240 VAC), US Cord NPT 1/2 Cable Glands for One Probe 4-8mm Support for POLARIS process refractometers enabled Multilingual Quick Guide

Mounting Kit for PR53GC AISI316L, includes Sandvik tyle L coupling, O-ring, and clamp.

3. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN COMPETITION

Several different refractometer manufacturers were contacted to determine suitability of different sensors. Some suppliers did not respond to online website inquiries, and others did not provide an in-line option. The documentation from the companies that did respond is captured in the Market Research document. The Brand Name and model are the critical components of this validation study.

4. STEPS TO PRECLUDE FUTURE SINGLE SOURCE (or BRAND NAME) AWARDS

This validation field study will help to justify performance of which sensor(s) and types will be most suitable for operating in the airtanker base environment. If multiple sensors and brands become validated, this will open the opportunity for future purchases to refer to the results of this study to choose the best options for a given site, application, or plumbing configuration.

5. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S DETERMINATION

I have determined, in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b) that the circumstances of this contract action deem only the brand name (Vaisala Polaris PR53GC) is available for the required services and performance testing.

Requesting Office:

Hunter Jones NTDP – Chemist Hunter.jones@usda.gov

Concur/Does Not Concur:

NAME

Contracting Officer mailto:Hunter.jones@usda.gov