RFP_Battery_Questionnaire.pdf

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Safe Lithium-Ion Battery Development Vendor Questionnaire

The purpose of this questionnaire is to obtain additional information to help Naval Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) better understand proposals to the SAM.gov posting.

Sections I and II focus on credible casualties (RFP Req #1.17) and casualties more severe than credible casualties (RFP Req #1.18), respectively. Section III discusses architecture and system functionality. Section IV discusses vendor capabilities. For systems based on an existing flagship design, describe the strategy used to withstand credible casualties and casualties more severe than credible casualties. It is recognized that battery systems being designed from the ground up may not have an answer to all of these questions. In those cases, it is requested that the vendor provide the best estimate of how they might approach the battery system design and strategy. For new designs, conceptually describe your considerations or notional strategy for addressing both credible casualties and casualties more severe than credible casualties.

I. Credible Casualties of the System

a. Hierarchy of Protection Features: Describe the hierarchy of features or actions used to protect against credible casualties. Describe how the use of a protection feature may be triggered.

b. Maintaining Operability: Describe the system strategy for maintaining operation during credible casualties.

c. Gas/Effluent Mitigation: Describe how the system “captures”, dilutes, filters, or otherwise mitigates effluent or gases from the asset/battery itself. If venting is not possible, what are the alternatives for effluent handling? What severity or magnitude of system failure does this strategy address (percent of system failure, timing considerations)?

d. Warnings/Alarms: Describe any warnings or alarms intended for use as part of the system protection design.

e. Interlocks: Describe any interlocks required to be employed to prevent inadvertent manual operation that may provide risk to the system.

f. Casualty Type: Describe the system strategy or approach for handling the following classes of casualties. Discuss how the system is designed to not exceed design limits for the following:

i. Over current

ii. Over voltage

iii. Under voltage

iv. Over charge

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v. Over discharge

vi. Over power

vii. Over temperature

viii. Under temperature

g. Automatic Controls: Describe the instrumentation and control (I&C) system design considerations for fault tolerance, such as redundancy, independence, coincident trigger strategies, and fault detection strategies.

h. Manual Controls: Identify any failures which you expect to require manual action by an operator in order to not exceed design limits, or as part of not exceeding the safety threshold for failure of the system.

i. Challenging Casualties: Describe the most limiting credible casualties for the system, in which the battery system design is close to exceeding design limits.

II. Casualties More Severe Than Credible Casualties of the System

a. Severe Casualties: Describe the casualties considered to be addressed in the design that are more severe than the credible casualties.

b. Safety System Response: Describe the expected total system (system plus added safety features) response, and final system configuration, at the end of casualties more severe than credible casualties.

c. Recoverability: What is the threshold for damage that is recoverable by the system?

d. Fire Response: Describe the fire suppression system, to include the design basis casualty for the sizing and intended timing for initiation of the system.

e. Stranded Energy: Describe any considerations for dealing with stranded energy within the system after actions have been taken for casualties more severe than credible casualties.

III. Architecture and Functionality of the System

a. Lowest Replaceable Unit (LRU): Describe what you consider to be the LRU in this system. (i.e., Can the system around the module be kept during replacement of active material?)

b. Electrical Architecture: Describe the electrical architecture of the system, to include any electrical disconnects, parallel/series configurations, and paralleling strategies (i.e. at the module, pack, string, and system level).

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c. Levels of Control: Describe the battery management system (BMS) architecture, to include functionality at each ‘level’ of the system, communication protocol, and interface equipment with the rest of the system.

d. Operating Modes: Describe how your system considers design margin when defining operating modes.

e. Maintainability: Describe the maintenance plan for the system and components. Discuss which components have required maintenance, and which components are replaceable by operators.

f. Lifetime Considerations: Describe the preferred operational profiles that may be desirable in meeting the specified system lifetime.

g. Thermal Management Strategy and Needs: Describe the thermal management system strategy and the associated infrastructure. Include ratings of the system and external support system (i.e., heat sink for the battery thermal management system) requirements, such as capacity, required flow rates, and cooling media.

IV. Vendor Capabilities and Intellectual Property

a. Manufacturing Capability: Describe your manufacturing capability (i.e.

throughput). Describe this for present-day and projected into the future.

b. Past Experience: Describe relevant experience with battery systems that you have designed with in the past.

c. Testing Capability: Describe any testing capability that you, the Vendor, possess. Discuss any testing capability you have access to through a contract or other subtier arrangement.

d. Work Program Flexibility: Describe to the degree that you, the Vendor, are open to adjustment of system design and scope for this proposed development. Describe any aspects of your design which, if changed, would require significant additional effort.