NRC-HQ-12-R-04-0129.docx

NRC-HQ-12-R-04-0219

ATTACHMENT NO. 4

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NRC-HQ-12-R-04-0129

X 8-1-2012

RES-12-261

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Div. of Contracts Attn: Adelis M Rodriguez, 301-492-3623 Mail Stop: TWB-01-B10M Washington, DC 20555 adelis.rodriguez@nrc.gov

1:00pm EST 08-31-2012 Adelis M Rodriguez 301-492-3623 See Attached Table of Contents X X X X X X X X X

X X X X Obligate: $_____ 2012-60-11-6-174 Job: V6017 BOC:252A Approp.: 31X0200 FAIMIS: RES-C-12-261 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Div. of Contracts Mail Stop: TWB-01-B10M Washington, DC 20555 Department of Interior / NBC NRCPayments_NBCDenver@NBC.gov Attn: Fiscal Services Branch - D2770 7301 W. Mansfield Avenue Denver CO 80235-2230 Adelis M Rodriguez Contracting Officer

Contents

NRC-HQ-12-R-04-0129 Section B

NRC-HQ-12-R-04-0129 SECTION B

B-1

SECTION B – PRICE / SCHEUDULE

B.1 BRIEF PROJECT TITLE AND WORK DESCRIPTION (AUG 2011)

(a) The title of this project is: Thermal Hydraulic Experimental and Model Development

(b) Summary work description:

This project supports the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) and other offices that use the TRACE thermal-hydraulic system code for analyses of transients in operating reactors, analyses to support resolution of generic issues, evaluation of emergency procedures and accident management strategies, and supporting analyses for new reactors. This work is an essential part of the RES development plan for TRACE and PARCS (Purdue Advanced Reactor Core Simulator, a three-dimensional (3D) core neutronics simulator that can be coupled TRACE).

B.2 CONSIDERATION AND OBLIGATION-INDEFINITE-QUANTITY CONTRACT (AUG 2011)

(a) The estimated total quantity of this contract for the products/services under this contract is 17,640 staff hours.

(b) The Contracting Officer will obligate funds on each task order issued.

(c) The minimum guarantee under this contract is 1,000 staff hours.

(d) The obligated amount for this contract is $TBD.

(e) A total estimated cost and fee, if any, will be negotiated for each task order and will be incorporated as a ceiling in the resultant task order. The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of 52.232-20 - Limitation of Cost for fully-funded task orders and 52.232-22 - Limitation of Funds for incrementally-funded task orders, issued hereunder.

B.3 CONSIDERATION AND OBLIGATION--COST-PLUS-FIXED-FEE (AUG 2011) ALTERNATE I (AUG 2011)

(a) The total estimated cost to the Government for full performance of this contract is $shall be specified at time of award, of which the sum of $shall be specified at time of award, represents the estimated reimbursable costs, and of which $shall be specified at time of award, represents the fixed-fee.

(b) There shall be no adjustment in the amount of the Contractor's fixed fee.

(c) In accordance with FAR 52.216-8 - Fixed Fee, it is the policy of the NRC to withhold payment of fee after payment of 85 percent of the fee has been paid in order to protect the Government's interest. The amount of fixed-fee withheld from the contractor will not exceed 15 percent of the total fee or $100,000, whichever is less. Accordingly, the maximum amount of fixed-fee that may be held in reserve is .

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF WORK

STATEMENT OF WORK

FOR CONTRACTOR TO PROVIDE

THERMAL-HYDRAULIC EXPERIMENTAL AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

Job Code V6017

I. BACKGROUND

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) is maintaining and developing the TRAC/RELAP Advanced Computational Engine (TRACE) code, which is a modern thermal-hydraulic system analysis tool. Uses of the TRACE code include analyses of transients in operating reactors, analyses to support resolution of generic issues, evaluation of emergency procedures and accident management strategies, confirmation of licensees’ analyses, training exercises for NRC staff, and supporting analyses for the certification of advanced reactor designs.

TRACE is subject to continual development and testing due to its reliance upon empirically based constitutive models. The need for development arises in two ways : a) assessment results for an existing code model indicate that models have either a bias or uncertainty that affects the degree of realism and/or conservatism of the simulation, or b) a code model required for an important phenomenon, process, or system is not available. An example of the former is that the assessment of interfacial drag in rod bundles at low pressure conditions indicated that the TRACE model has a bias towards under-prediction of the core inventory. This bias would result in an overly conservative calculation for boil-off transients where the code would predict an early uncovery and higher than actual peak clad temperatures. This contract also may be used to address generic issues if small experiments can contribute to the solution.

The processes of modifying an existing model or developing a new model include:

1. identifying physical requirements for the new model consistent with existing code structure and numerical scheme,

2. specifying required model accuracy or behavior,

3. identifying data available for devising the new model, or acquiring appropriate experimental data if the available database is inadequate,

4. identifying the uncertainty (i.e., experimental error band) associated the acquired data,

5. developing analytical relationships that describe relevant physical phenomena,

6. encoding the new model analytical relationships,

7. identifying or acquiring data to be used in assessing the encoded model, and

8. testing that the encoded model meets its requirements and that code functionality was not adversely impacted by the modification.

This contract seeks experimental assistance for the TRACE code development including subsequent numerical model development and implementation. It represents the fourth contract that provides NRC staff with assistance in conducting the requisite experiments necessary for the continued advancement of the TRACE code. The predecessor contracts also have been referred to as thermal-hydraulic institute (THI) contracts. The first THI contracts were focused on the consolidation of models and features from other system thermal hydraulic codes into the TRACE code. The more recent contracts have concentrated on separate effect experiments to develop and validate models that allow the TRACE code to simulate a broad range of problems that were previously handled separately by different codes. Because of these experimental programs, the capability of TRACE is continually improving and the code is able to simulate a very wide variety of transients for operating Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) plants. Development is continuing throughout subsequent contracts in support of TRACE applicability to Generation III and IV advanced reactor designs.

It should be noted that physical conditions can occur in nuclear reactor systems that are still too intricate and complicated to model accurately with a computer code. That is, there are times when experiments are essential to gain data and necessary physical insights to make informed regulatory decisions about the behavior of a certain component or system. This THI contract scope also designed to accommodate these situations as they are needed.

As in previous THI contracts, task orders that deal with the acquisition of specific sets of data, development of physical models and subsequent model implementation will be issued as the NRC identifies model development or improvement needs. Some of the more recent subjects to be addressed in this contract are additional GSI-193 testing where both experimental data and TRACE modeling were developed to consider effects of non-condensable gases in horizontal runs of piping and the effect of the entrained gases on safety injection pump performance. The experimental evidence showed that gas may reach the pumps during a loss-of-coolant accident but that the pumps can recover given a limited amount of voiding. Development of models in TRACE based on this data is essentially completed and technical review meetings are being scheduled with the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) to finalize this issue in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. This activity highlights the role of small experiments being used to address pertinent NRC issues and provide data to improve correlations and modeling so the TRACE code can more accurately predict the correct behavior.

In addition, as the nuclear industry moves forward with more new reactor designs that consider small and medium-sized Light Water Reactor (LWRs) (e.g., NuScale, PRISM, and mPower) many more features, improvements, and assessments will be required for TRACE. Applications for these designs are expected to be received in the near future, now likely in FY 2014. The preliminary technical reviews for these advanced designs are ongoing and expected to require significant research and challenge the capabilities of the TRACE code in many areas.

Since TRACE is the main tool for confirmatory analyses of a broad range of thermal-hydraulic problems for current and new reactor designs, it is essential that this experimental program continues to provide necessary research and development activities to stay slightly ahead of analysis requirements of advanced next generation and the atypical smaller LWR designs.

II. OBJECTIVES

The objective of this contract is to obtain contractor support conducting small-scale experiments, acquiring data, and developing and implementing new or improved physical models and correlations into the TRACE code. As areas that require contractor support are identified by the staff, individual task order statements of work will be issued that specify objectives, scope, deliverables, schedule and other necessary requirements. Therefore, the work that will be tasked through this contract is not listed here in specific detail so that the focus of the scope remains somewhat generic and flexible enough to allow it to also address important emergent issues as they develop.

Task orders will be issued for experimental or code-related activities that fall within the following broad categories:

· acquiring experimental data for model development or testing,

· development of new or improved constitutive models and correlations,

· implementation of the developed models within either the TRACE code or a thermal-hydraulics pilot code, and

· consulting and peer-review for physical model development and testing.

The contractor shall provide the personnel, facilities, equipment, and report deliverables as required to accomplish the specified objective(s) of each task order.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

The contractor shall provide centralized program support and all encompassing administrative, clerical, documentation, and all other related tasks. The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, incidental materials, contractor facilities and equipment, travel, and other services required to perform tasking under respective task orders statements of work. The contractor shall also provide all necessary supervision, management, and administrative support to accomplish each task as specified in each task order. Support services in this effort include but are not limited to the following areas:

1. Task order management

2. Develop test facility with necessary component setup and instrumentation

3. Conduct tests and acquire/ analyze experimental data

4. Development of desired constitutive models and correlations

5. Model implementation, testing, and optimization

6. Documenting results and conclusions

7. Consulting and peer-review completion and potential follow-up model development and testing work.

IV. SPECIFIC TASK AREAS

The NRC will issue task orders for work in the following general areas:

1. Task Order Management The contractor shall prepare a task order management plan describing the technical approach, organizational resources, and management controls to be employed to meet the cost, performance and schedule requirements individually throughout the execution of each task order.

The contractor shall provide a monthly letter status report (MLSR) monitoring the quality assurance and management that apply to each task order area. The monthly status report shall contain, but is not limited to, information on technical activities, accomplishments, problems, potential delays in the deliverable schedule, any personnel changes or issues, travel, financial expenditures (months-to-date and task-to-date) for each task order. The monthly status report will be required within 60 days after issuance of the first task order and every monthly reporting period thereafter. The MLSR shall be prepared in accordance with the section below entitled: “REPORTING REQUIREMENTS,” subsection entitled “Monthly Letter Status report (MLSR).”

The contractor shall also prepare annual progress letter reports in accordance with section below entitled: “REPORTING REQUIREMENTS,” subsection entitled: “Annual Progress Letter Reports.”

2. Acquiring Experimental Data for Model Development or Testing The contractor shall provide assistance with planning, designing, constructing and deploying reduced-scale, separate-effects experiments for model development and testing. The NRC will specify requirements through individual task orders. These may include, but are not limited to, experimental data to improve models for the analysis of operating reactors, such as:

• BWR separate-effects experiments

· top down quenching

· two-phase pressure drop

· void fraction in rod bundles

· determination of Tmin in ATWS transients

· technical support for follow-up GSI-193 activities

• PWR small- break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA) experiments

· hot-leg stratified flow and counter-current flow (CCFL)

· reflux condensation with and without non-condensable gases

· loop seal clearing

• PWR large-break, loss-of-coolant accident (LBLOCA) experiments

· post critical heat flux heat transfer improvement under reflood conditions

· blowdown heat transfer and rewet in high-pressure, high-to-moderate flow and low quality conditions

· determination of quench, or rewet, temperature for particular conditions

· model develop to improve robustness during reflood

· downcomer and cold-leg condensation

· upper plenum de-entrainment

· entrained gas in emergency core cooling system (ECCS) pump suction lines

· steam generator heat transfer in transition boiling with highly dispersed flow

· downcomer interfacial drag.

These also may include extension of existing experiments and data to improve the accuracy of models for the simulation of the proposed Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) transients, such as:

• void fraction in large-diameter channels

• two-phase instabilities in a simple natural circulation loop

• condensation with non-condensable gas in the laminar-turbulent transition region.

Additionally, new small and medium-sized advanced reactor designs that will be submitted for licensing review during this contract may also give rise to needs for data generation and model development that would be addressed for an array of thermal-hydraulic related topics. Such areas for experimentation may include, but are not limited to:

• two-phase flow and heat transfer in horizontal rod bundles

• helical steam generator steady-state and transient performance

• heat transfer in finned condensers in presence of non-condensable gases

• heat transfer and hydrodynamics of pebble beds.

Also, to improve the fundamental models for two-phase flow, the NRC is continuing to pursue development of the requisite models for development of the interfacial area transport equations. This experimental work is expected to be continued under this contract until developed and tested models are fully implemented into the TRACE code. Specific areas for experimentation and data acquisition include, but are not limited to:

• transition from slug or churn-turbulent flow to annular/mist flow,

• counter-current flow,

• cold-leg to downcomer transition,

• flow in vertical elbows, tees, and other area changes.

To simulate high pressure and high temperature conditions, some tasks may require use of simulant fluids such as refrigerants.

The contractor shall propose a task plan in accordance with the task order objective(s) regarding all key aspects of the of the experimental setup, including type and placement of instrumentation and controls. The contractor shall propose data acquisition and reduction procedures in accordance with task order objective(s). The contractor shall specifically detail their approach for measuring and determining data uncertainty and shall include appropriate error bands on all plotted experimental results. NRC staff must approve the task plan prior to implementation. If the plan is acceptable to the NRC, a task order will be issued to cover this work.

The contractor shall document every aspect of facility design, and produce an as-built facility description. The contractor shall further issue revisions of the as-built facility description report as modifications are implemented. All activities related to the data obtained by a facility (e.g., instrumentation characteristics, calibration procedures, conditioning for initial conditions, imposition of boundary conditions, data acquisition, and data reduction) have to be documented with sufficient detail for complete reproducibility.

3. Development of Constitutive Models and Correlations In concert with tasks to develop experimental data, the contractor shall develop the necessary constitutive models and correlations to model the targeted phenomena within the framework of the two-fluid code models and architecture within TRACE. The contractor shall provide both the reduced data and the data reduction algorithms used in this model development activity in an electronic format to be specified by the NRC.

4. Model Implementation and Testing As directed by the NRC, the contractor shall implement the developed physical models and correlations within either the TRACE code or a pilot code. For physical models that do not require substantial changes to the TRACE field equations or numerical solution, the contractor should expect to be required to implement the model directly into the TRACE code. In other cases, for example, where the model implementation would require the addition of a new set of field equations, a pilot code may be needed to illustrate the correct integration of the constitutive model within a two-fluid numerical framework. If the latter approach is followed, subject to the approval of the NRC contracting officer representative (COR), the pilot code will either be provided by the NRC or developed by the contractor. In either case, a complete set of test problems will be developed to demonstrate proper implementation and quantification of modeling accuracy.

For models to be implemented in TRACE, all code development activities must follow principles described in NUREG-1737, “Software Quality Assurance Procedures for NRC Thermal Hydraulic Codes,” and adhere to the Programming Guidelines and Design Philosophies as outlined on the TRACE Development website. The contractor shall prepare a Software Requirements Document (SRD) (using an established NRC Framemaker template), Test Plan, and Software Design and Implementation Document (SDID) before implementing new models or features and submitting them to NRC for approval. Upon approval of the SRD and SDID, the contractor shall implement the changes. The results of the programming effort shall be documented in a Completion Report. The contractor has the freedom to combine these documents where appropriate and with NRC approval. What is important is that the relevant topics belonging to each document be addressed and formally communicated in some fashion. Similar, though less formal documentation will also be required for models implemented into a pilot code.

As needed, the NRC will issue the specific statement of work, including scope, deliverables, and delivery schedules, with each individual task order.

The contractor shall propose a task plan in accordance with the task order objective(s) regarding all key aspects of the issued task. NRC staff must approve the task plan prior to implementation. If the plan is acceptable to the NRC, a task order will be issued to cover this work.

5. Consulting and peer-review for physical model development and testing The contractor shall provide technical consulting and peer-review services for all aspects of experimental, model development and testing work related to the TRACE code. As needed, the NRC will issue the specific statement of work, including scope, deliverables, and delivery schedules, with each individual task order.

The contractor shall propose a task plan in accordance with the task order objective(s) regarding all key aspects of the issued task. NRC staff must approve the task plan prior to implementation. If the plan is acceptable to the NRC, a task order will be issued to cover this work.

The contractor shall prepare all technical reports specified in individual task orders in a format suitable for publication as a NUREG/CR (see section X “PUBLICATIONS”). The contractor shall provide drafts of all reports to NRC staff for approval prior to final publication.

6. Research Quality The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) assesses the quality of NRC research programs each year. Within the context of its reviews of RES programs, the definition of quality research is based on several major characteristics:

· Results meet the objectives (75 percent of overall score)

· Justification of major assumptions (12 percent)

· Soundness of technical approach and results (52 percent)

· Uncertainties and sensitivities addressed (11 percent)

· Documentation of research results and methods is adequate (25 percent of overall score)

· Clarity of presentation (16 percent)

· Identification of major assumptions (9 percent)

The contractor is responsible for ensuring that these quality criteria are adequately addressed throughout the course of the research that is performed. The NRC COR and technical monitor will review all research products with these criteria in mind.

An example of a recent task order is included as Attachment A.

V. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Failure to submit any of the reports described below in a timely manner will result in invoice suspension for the month that the report is missing. Once a complete report is received, the vendor may re-submit the invoice for payment.

1. Monthly letter status report (MLSR) A MLSR is to be submitted in electronic format via e-mail to the NRC COR by the 20th of the month following the month to be reported with copies provided to the following:

Resource Name: RESDSAMLSR.Resource@nrc.gov

The MLSR shall be broken down by task and shall identify the title of the project, the job code, the principal investigator, the period of performance, and the reporting period; summarize each month’s technical progress; and contain information as directed in NRC Management Directive 11.1 available at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/management-directives/volumes/vol-11.html. Any administrative or technical difficulties that may affect the schedule or costs of the project shall be included in the MLSR and immediately brought to the attention of the NRC COR.

2. Annual Progress Letter Reports The contractor shall submit an annual progress letter report within 30 days of the close of the fiscal year (October 1-September 30). The annual progress report shall summarize all efforts on the tasks conducted during the corresponding period, including the status of each ongoing task.

3. Financial Status Reports The contractor shall provide a monthly Financial Status Report (FSR) to the COR and the contracting officer. The FSR shall include the acquisition of, or changes in the status of, contractor-held property acquired with government funds valued at the time of purchase at $50,000 or more. The report is due at the same time that the monthly status report is due and must identify the title of the project, the contract number, the appropriate financial tracking code (e.g., Job Code Number or JCN) specified by the NRC COR, project manager and/or principal investigator, the contract period of performance, and the period covered by the report. Each report must include the following for each discrete task:

(a) Total estimated contract amount.

(b) Total funds obligated to date.

(c) Total costs incurred this reporting period.

(d) Total costs incurred to date.

(e) Detail of all direct and indirect costs incurred during the reporting period for the entire contract or each task, if it is a task ordering contract.

(f) Balance of obligations remaining.

(g) Balance of funds required to complete contract/task order.

(h) Contractor Spending Plan (CSP) status: A revised CSP is required with the Financial Status Report whenever the contractor or the contracting officer has reason to believe that the total cost for performance of this contract will be either greater or substantially less than what had been previously estimated.

(1) Projected percentage of completion cumulative through the report period for the project/task order as reflected in the current CSP.

(2) Indicate significant changes in the original CSP projection in either dollars or percentage of completion. Identify the change, the reasons for the change, whether there is any projected overrun, and when additional funds would be required. If there have been no changes to the original NRC-approved CSP projections, a written statement to that effect is sufficient in lieu of submitting a detailed response to item "h".

(i) Property status:

(1) List property acquired for the project during the month with an acquisition cost between $500 and $49,999. Give the item number for the specific piece of equipment.

(2) Provide a separate list of property acquired for the project during the month with an acquisition cost of $50,000 or more. Provide the following information for each item of property: item description or nomenclature, manufacturer, model number, serial number, acquisition cost, and receipt date. If no property was acquired during the month, include a statement to that effect. The same information must be provided for any component or peripheral equipment which is part of a "system or system unit."

(3) For multi-year projects, in the September monthly financial status report provide a cumulative listing of property with an acquisition cost of $50,000 or more showing the information specified in paragraph (i)(2) of this clause.

(4) In the final financial status report provide a closeout property report containing the same elements as described above for the monthly financial status reports, for all property purchased with NRC funds regardless of value unless title has been vested in the contractor. If no property was acquired under the contract, provide a statement to that effect. The report should note any property requiring special handling for security, health, safety, or other reasons as part of the report.

(j) Travel status: List the starting and ending dates for each trip, the starting point and destination, and the traveler(s) for each trip.

(k) If the data in this report indicates a need for additional funding beyond that already obligated, this information may only be used as support to the official request for funding required in accordance with the Limitation of Cost (LOC) Clause (FAR 52.232-20) or the Limitation of Funds (LOF) Clause FAR 52.232-22.

4. Topical Reports The contractor shall submit topical reports at the conclusion of research tasks. The content of each report shall be broadly described within the statement of work of each individual task order. The details on format, technical level, and completeness will be jointly agreed upon by the NRC COR and the principal investigator. Topical reports shall be self-contained, and shall be suitable for publication as a NUREG/CR report. Topical reports shall include an executive summary that summarizes the research results with regard to the project objectives as defined in the statement of work for each issued task order. See also section X “PUBLICATIONS.”

5. Presentations at professional meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals Presentations of accomplished research results at professional meetings and publication of this technical work in peer-reviewed professional journals are expected. A copy of all written and oral presentations, including technical papers and abstracts to be submitted for publication in technical journals, related to or funded by this project, will be transmitted to the NRC COR prior to presentation or submittal for publication. The contractor shall abide by the following reporting requirements:

VI. DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The NRC will specify deliverables and delivery schedules with the issuance of each task order.

VII. MEETINGS AND TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

It is anticipated that contract requirements will be satisfied with 5 yearly trips of two-day duration for two persons. Meetings will be approved as needed for consultation with NRC staff or for presentation of the work to technical conferences or meetings. Travel requirements will be specified with the issuance of each task order.

The contractor shall present the technical progress of the project at NRC headquarters on an annual basis, and make additional trips to NRC related contractor meetings and professional technical symposia as requested by the NRC COR. Any additional domestic travel to be charged against project funds requires prior approval by the NRC COR. All foreign travel related to and/or funded by the project must be approved in writing by the NRC COR and his management chain through the EDO. All travel expenses shall be conducted in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR). The contractor shall submit with the invoice any travel receipts and any supporting documentation that would allow the Contracting officer to determine that the travel expenses took placein accordance with FTR. Failure to provide receipts may constitute reason for invoice disallowance.

VIII. PUBLICATIONS

RES encourages the publication of the scientific results from RES-sponsored programs in refereed scientific and engineering journals as appropriate. If the contractor proposes to publish in open literature or to present the information at meetings in addition to submitting the required technical reports, approval of the proposed article or presentation should be obtained from the NRC COR. The NRC COR shall approve the material as submitted, approve with NRC-suggested revisions, or disapprove it. In any event, the NRC COR may disapprove or delay presentation or publication of papers on information that is subject to Commission approval that has not been ruled on or which has been disapproved. Additional information regarding the publication of NRC-sponsored research is contained in NRC Management Directives 3.7, “NUREG Series Publications,” and 3.9, “NRC Staff and Contractor Speeches, Papers, and Journal Articles on Regulatory and Technical Subjects.”

If the presentation or paper is in addition to the required technical reports and the RES project manager determines that it will benefit the RES project, the project manager may authorize payment of travel and publishing costs, if any, from the project funds. If the project manager determines that the article or presentation would not benefit the RES project, the contractor will bear the costs associated with the preparation, presentation, or publication. For any publication or presentations falling into this category, NRC reserves the right to require that such presentation or publication will not identify NRC sponsorship of the work.

1. New Standards for Contractors Who Prepare NUREG-Series Manuscripts

NRC began to capture most of its official records electronically on January 1, 2000. NRC will capture each final NUREG-series publication in its native application; therefore, the contractor should submit final manuscripts that have been approved by the NRC COR in both electronic and camera-ready copy.

All format guidance, as specified in NUREG-0650, Revision 2, will remain the same with one exception. The contractor will no longer be required to include the NUREG-series designator on the bottom of each page of the manuscript. NRC will assign this designator when it sends the camera-ready copy to the printer and will place the designator on the cover, title page, and spine. The designator for each report will no longer be assigned when the decision to prepare a publication is made. NRC Publishing Services Branch will inform the NRC COR for the publication of the assigned designator when the final manuscript is sent to the printer.

For the electronic manuscript, the contractor shall prepare the text in Microsoft Word and use any of the following file types for charts, spreadsheets, and the like.

File Types to be Used for NUREG-Series Publications

This list is subject to change if new software packages come into common use at NRC or by its licensees or other stakeholders that participate in the electronic submission process. If a portion of your manuscript is from another source and you cannot obtain an acceptable electronic file type for this portion (e.g., an appendix from an old publication), NRC can, if necessary, create a tagged image file format (file extension .tif) for that portion of your report. Note that you should continue to submit original photographs that will be scanned because digitized photographs do not print well.

If you choose to publish a compact disk (CD) of your publication, place on the CD copies of the manuscript in both (1) a portable document format (PDF), and (2) a Microsoft Word file format.

IX. QUALITY ASSURANCE

For all tasks in section IV. Entitled: “Specific Task Areas”, the contractor shall observe quality assurance guidelines described below. The contractor shall also document every aspect of task performance with sufficient detail for complete reproducibility.

Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106-554) directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue government- wide guidelines (FR Vol. 67, No. 36, pp. 8452-8460) that “provide policy and procedural guidance to federal agencies for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information (including statistical information) disseminated by federal agencies.” NRC Information Quality Guidelines are provided in FR Vol. 67, No. 190, pp. 61695-61699.

The Contractor shall cite contractor quality assurance procedures used in the conduct of this work that provide for compliance with OMB and NRC guidelines. Any work (i.e., data, interpretations, analyses, computations, methods, etc.), developed under the contract shall be performed under an adequate quality assurance program. Quality assurance comprises all those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that the research has been satisfactorily performed. Quality assurance includes sufficient documentation to assure the reproducibility of the results of the research. That is, the methods and techniques used to collect, reduce, and interpret data produced by research are sufficiently accurate, traceable, and articulate so that other researchers could duplicate the work done and independently evaluate the results.

An adequate QA program should address the following areas as appropriate:

1. experimental design and rationale--sample selection, number of samples, sampling frequency, controls;

2. statistical evaluation of experimental design--assessment of statistical power, of sampling scheme and measurement techniques, including expected accuracy and precision;

3. sample preparation--selection of sample type, treatment of samples, sample identification;

4. measurement techniques used--description of measurement process, description/identification of equipment used;

5. calibration methods--frequency, techniques, standards, traceability;

6. data recording--method of recording data, identification of person(s) recording/certifying data;

7. data reduction--methods and code(s) (including identification of modifications and updates);

8. data analysis--description of techniques used, methods of data verification (e.g., spot checking of measurements, calculations, etc.);

9. records management--identification, location, and retention time of data, analyses, associated records, duplicate data and/or records; and

10. statistical evaluation--interpretation of data, stating actual accuracy and precision of results achieved.

In addition, if standard test or calibration procedures are employed (e.g., NIST or ASTM standards) these should be cited in the program. Finally, if appropriate to the size and nature of the contract, the work and results should receive exposure in the scientific community through publication of results in refereed journals, or through peer reviews, or both.

X. NRC-FURNISHED MATERIAL

NRC-furnished materials will be specified, as necessary, with the issuance of individual task orders.

XI. SUBCONTRACTING/CONSULTANT INFORMATION

Subcontracts related or funded under this project require the prior written approval of the NRC Contracting Officer.

The contractor shall describe the technical support effort that is proposed to be performed by a subcontractor or consultant. Identify the level of effort, by task, of any proposed subcontractor or consultant and provide an explanation of the need for subcontracting that portion of the effort.

Note that “pass through” contracting is not allowed. For the purposes of this effort, a “pass through” contract is generally defined as subcontracting 50 percent or more of the technical effort. For any subcontract or consultant effort, describe the following:

· the necessity of subcontracting,

· the tasks and subtasks the subcontractor or consultant will perform,

· the level of effort proposed for the subcontract effort,

· the status and expected time frame for selection, and

· the method of selection of the subcontractor or consultant.

XII. RELATED RES PROJECTS

Future task orders may include work related to the coordination of research studies and related RES projects.

XIII. DISPOSAL OF PROPERTIES

One month before the end of the contract, the contractor provide the NRC a list of the equipment and instrumentation purchased and developed during the course of the contract. The NRC will determine the ultimate disposition of any items purchased and developed during the course of this contract.

ATTACHMENT A. SAMPLE STATEMENT OF WORK FOR TASK ORDER

Note: The contractor is NOT required to submit a proposal regarding the sample task order, nor will a proposal will be evaluated. This is just for informational purposes.

BACKGROUND

The USNRC's system thermal-hydraulic analysis code TRACE (TRAC RELAP Advanced Computational Engine) is being developed to provide a best-estimate accident analysis capability for both operating pressurized and boiling water reactors as well as the next generation of evolutionary water reactor designs. In partnership with the code development, a comprehensive code assessment activity is being conducted. Results from this assessment have identified a code modeling limitation for the prediction of void fraction in large diameter pipes. A previous similar task (former Task 1) was completed in 2009 but the analysis has shown that additional data is needed at an even larger pipe diameter and higher mass fluxes. Correction of this modeling limitation remains a high priority due to its potential Impact on calculations for advanced boiling-water reactor (BWR) designs (e.g., SBWR, ESBWR, ABWR).

In most advanced BWR designs, a tall chimney region exists above the reactor core to provide the gravity head necessary to drive the two-phase natural circulation flow through the core. For this chimney region, the TRACE code uses the same interfacial drag models as for 1-D vertical pipes. That is, for the bubbly/slug flow regime, the Kataoka-Ishii drift flux model for large diameter pipes is converted to an interfacial friction correlation. For the annular/mist flow regime, the Wallis annular flow interfacial friction model is used for the liquid film. When entrained droplets are predicted to exist, the drop volume fraction is estimated and the associated interfacial drag is added to that for the liquid film. For the transition region between these two regimes, TRACE uses a simple power-law weighting scheme to provide a continuous and smooth transition.

Two other sources of data have been identified to assess these models for hydraulic diameters of about the same size as the ESBWR chimney: pool data (Wilson & Carrier bubble rise tests) and the Ontario-Hydro transient upflow tests. In the assessment against the Wilson data, the TRACE code performed quite well up to void fractions of about 50-60% (probably because these tests are included in the database used to develop the Kataoka-Ishii drift flux model). There are few data points in the void fraction range 60-80%, where TRACE significantly under-predicts void fraction. TRACE comparisons to the Wilson and Ontario-Hydro data sets are shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively.

In the TRACE assessment against Ontario-Hydro transient upflow tests, predictions compared well up to about 50% void fraction. For higher void fractions, however, TRACE progressively under-predicts void fraction. For a data value of 78%, the TRACE calculated value was only 67%. To put this into perspective, this means that TRACE over-predicted the liquid inventory in the chimney region by ~50% thereby providing a non-conservative initial condition for a LOCA analysis. So former Task 1 was initiated to provide data of flow in large diameter with void fractions primarily above 60% and up to 80%.

For the former Task 1, TRACE void fraction predictions were compared to measured void fractions at each of the five axial locations in the experiments. As shown in Figure 3, overall, there was good agreement with experimental void fractions at both low and high up to about 70% void fractions.