M67004-12-R-0024 Questions and Answers.pdf

M67004-12-R-0024 Questions

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1) On the steam heat are you asking for only connectivity or do you require control and regulation of the steam; you have defined that a digital temperature controller will be required, however please confirm that all bids must include a regulator and trap and not just the thermostat and steam coil connection points that you have defined. Please confirm that a separate steam heat system will be required for the Recirculating rinse as well.

We have a steam generation plant in our facility (80 psi steam); we will connect the steam from this generation plant to run this equipment; however, any special requirements for your equipment will have to be included.

2) Does the fresh water rinse need heat? If so, we would recommend a heat exchanger for the rinse water supply as the best method to do this if required.

Note: heating the rinse will reduce the amount of steam created.

No. The rinse water is heated, but the fresh water rinse is not.

2) What is the maximum and or expected PSI available form your steam source at the install location. Please provide the temperature of your steam supply.

Expected steam pressure is 80 psi. Based on steam tables, 80 psi steam will be about 320 degrees F.

Per Para 2 of SOR: “The system will be steam heated using plant supplied steam heating utility. (mm 80 PSI steam).”

3) Please define the “Vacuum / Blow-off Gun” Requirements. The spec references a plant air blow off, is this to be an automatic cycle using air manifolds and nozzles built in to the wash system or a hand held gun? Is a vacuum system to be provided by us if so please define your requirements and how you would like the vacuum to operate.

The part should be automatically dried in one of the cycles.

Per Para 4.16: “ The Heavy Duty Cabinet Turntable Cleaning System shall have Plant Air Blow-off, consists of piping system c/w solenoid valve and cycle timer, using 4- brass VORTEC blow-off nozzles to remove excess from specific areas of work pieces.”

There is also a separate vacuum/blow off gun that will be used to manually blow and/or vacuum any excess water from the parts. There are no specific requirements for the blow off gun and/or vacuum. Just need to be able to manually remove any residual water from the parts before removing from the washer; gun should be easy to handle.

Per Para 4.1.24 of SOR: “The Heavy Duty Cabinet Turntable Cleaning System shall have a Vacuum/Blow-off Gun that will be used to blow of excess water from parts.”

4) Please define the minimum requirements for tank pump out.

Per Para 4.23 of SOR: “ …Tank Pump-Out, that consists of a pneumatic cast iron diaphragm pump 25 GPM @ 30 psi, requires 25 SCFM @ 60 psi of compressed air- 1" pump.”

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These are the minimum requirements.

5) Please define minimum requirements for construction material for the cabinet and tanks (thickness and type)

There are no minimum requirements for the construction materials for the cabinet and tanks. The contractor should determine the proper construction materials to be used to ensure proper function of the equipment. This is a heavy duty cabinet system that will be used for production engine cleaning; therefore, it should be designed accordingly.

I would recommend that they list their recommended construction material types and thickness in their proposal as well as any additional construction options/prices.

6) What type turntable design will be acceptable? Table mounted in the cabinet, on the door, as a roll out or some other manner. Do you have any load and or unload requirements that might come into play like needing to use an overhead crane?

There are no specific requirements for the table other than what is outlined in the SOR. We do need to be able to remove a 2500lb item (such as an engine block) from the washer using an overhead crane; therefore, the table should be designed accordingly.

Per Para 2 of SOR: “…minimum 42" diameter table with 60" available work height and rated table capacity of minimum 2500 lbs.”

7) Please confirm that the required operation of the system is as follows: 1st cycle will be a wash cycle that will drain to an 800-gallon tank. 2nd cycle will be a fresh water rinse that will drain to wash tank as make up water, will this need to be stainless steel or do you want it to use a rust inhibitor via an injector pump? The 3rd cycle will be a Recirculating rinse that will include a rust inhibitor that will drain to its own tank, please confirm how large of a tank you would like for the rinse cycle. For the 4th stage you have requested a plant air blow-off we will assume this is to finish draining to the rinse tank, but please define if this is to be an automated blow off or done with the requested hand wand and vacuumed that have not been well defined?

- Wash

- Rinse

- Fresh water rinse

- Automatic Blow Off Cycle

- Hand blow off as required

Need some way to introduce rust inhibitor into the rinse water as required.

Method is optional. The fresh water rinse will be only plain water. Size of tank will be based on design of the equipment; need a tank large enough to support the system.

See #3 above for information on blow off.

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8) How many bag filter systems are required, if you are only requesting one, what stage do you want it installed?

The bag filter system is required for the re-circulating rinse stage. Any other required filters will be based on their design requirements and function of their equipment.

Per Para 4.9 of SOR: “…shall have Full Flow Bag Filter (or re-circulating rinse stage…)

9) On the exhaust blower, how would prefer it be controlled?

Should be an adjustable interval timer that can be set as required to provide

Per Para 4.1.6 of the SOR: “Exhaust blower is turned on only at the end of cycle to reduce heat loss.”

Per Para 4.1.18 of the SOR: It should have “2 adjustable interval timers (drain interval (repeatable) and exhaust)”.

10) Automatic sludge removal system, we think you are asking for only one system for the wash tank please confirm.

Our intent is to removed the sludge form the 1st sludge cleaning operation; however, if their system generates sludge in other stages then they would have provide sludge removal in that area also.

Per Para 4.1.13: “The Heavy Duty Cabinet Turntable Cleaning System shall have an Automatic Sludge Removal Conveyor … …that scrape the entire width of the 1st stage tank bottom and drag the sludge up a sloped wall to discharge it into sludge container. “

11) Access Door: Please define; is this to be a see through door or a door that one can open during operation without shutting off the pumps?

This is not a see through door, but it should have an access door in the main door (or side) to allow access; we do NOT want open any of the doors during operation of the equipment.

Per Para 4.1.14: “The Heavy Duty Cabinet Turntable Cleaning System shall have an Access Door, located in the main door (or side of machine) to facilitate verification and adjustment of spray nozzles… …with safety limit switch to prevent pump and cycle operation when door is open.”

12) Your Statement of Requirements does not inform what type of metal the parts washer is to be made of. (For example, my company's parts washers are made in both a stainless steel variant or option and a mild steel variant or option such that all the wetted parts: i.e., the cabinet, plumbing, spray manifold, pump are either stainless steel or mild steel. In this regard, are you specifying a stainless steel or mild steel machine (and please specify which or all parts are to be made of which materials)?

Based on our current SOR, either mild steel or stainless steel is allowed. I would recommend that they list the stainless steel as an optional feature so that we can evaluate the cost in their proposal.

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13) Your Statement of Requirements calls for a stage or cycle to prevent rust.

With parts washers rust prevention is a function of the construction materials with which the machine is made and or rust inhibitors which are a function of the chemistry and or detergent being used. In this regard, how would a stage or cycle prevent rust and what kind of stage or cycle are you specifying to prevent rust?

We want the capability to add a rust inhibitor to the rinse water to help eliminate flash rust after the part is removed since it is being rinsed with water.

Per 2 of SOR: “…the rinse tank will include a rust inhibiting chemical to keep the cleaned parts from rusting during subsequent rebuild operations.”

14) Your Statement of Requirements calls for the fresh water rinse drain to go to the wash solution tank:

a. Why do you not specify that the fresh water rinse drain back to the rinse tank (which you have also specified) as opposed to the wash tank which will contaminate the wash solution? .

The rinse water does not drain into the wash solution. The fresh water rinse is used.

Per Para 2 of SOR: “The FWR (Fresh Water Rinse) will be used between the re-circulating wash and re-circulating rinse stages to minimize solution cross contamination between the two re-circulating stages. The spent FWR will drain to the wash solution tank to help make up for evaporation loss.”

Per Para 4.1.5 of SOR: “The Heavy Duty Cabinet Turntable Cleaning System shall have a Counter Flow Water Make Up. The cabinet drain diverter is programmed to automatically return solution to make up level in one tank form the downstream process-stage (fresh water rinse or re-circulating).

This maintains cleaner solutions and reduces water consumption since only the final process tank is made up with fresh water. Complete with all necessary controls including float actuated fresh water make-up for each stage. Initial fill is done via automatic solution make-up. After the initial fill the Counter Flow solution make-up operation is engaged.”

b. Why do you not specify that the wash solution tank have an automatic refill module to replace (from your water grid) any water loss due to evaporation as opposed to having the rinse water drain (and cross contaminate) the wash solution?

We also want automatic refill on the wash tank.

Per Para 4.1.3 of the SOR: “shall have an Automatic Solution Level Control that consist of a stainless steel float actuated automatic level control system with inlet strainer and brass solenoid valves for fresh water fill.”