SOW FOR RFQ.docx

Request for Quotation Number 1333ND23QNB640594 Statement of Work

TITLE: Procurement of a High Temperature Vacuum Furnace

SPECIFICATIONS

The Contractor shall deliver one (1) high-temperature gas cooled vacuum furnace system that meets or exceeds the following requirements:

1. General Requirements 1-1. The maximum temperature of the high temperature vacuum furnace shall be equal to or higher than1650 ºC.

1-2. The minimum uniform temperature zone (ΔT £ ± 5 ºC at 1250 ºC) shall be equal or larger than 200 mm (W) x 200 mm (H) x 350 mm (D). Larger is preferred, and there is not a specific maximum, however, the system must be able to be installed in the NIST facility. The minimum uniform temperature zone shall be validated in accordance with the Acceptance Criteria identified herein.

1-3. The minimum and maximum chamber volume of the high temperature vacuum furnace shall be from 125 liters to 600 liters respectively.

1-4. The overall dimensions of the high temperature vacuum furnace shall be equal or less than 4000 mm (W) x 3000 mm (D) x 2100 mm (H).

1-5. The overall weight of the high temperature vacuum furnace shall be equal or less than 3,000 kg.

1-6. The system must be delivered through a doorway with the following dimensions: 1750 mm (W) x 2100 mm (H) sizes.

1-7. All vacuum pumps of the high temperature vacuum furnace shall be fluid-free.

1-8. The high temperature vacuum furnace shall be maintained at equal or less than 5.0 x 10-4 Pa (1Pa = 0.01 mbar = 0.0075 torr) of the vacuum pressure during heat treatments at 1550 ºC for 1 h. This item shall be validated, in accordance with the Acceptance Criteria identified herein.

1-9. The heating elements, shields, hearth supporters, hearth rails, and hearth plate shall be made of refractory molybdenum or tungsten only.

1-10. All electrical components shall be the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), National Electrical Code (NEC), or National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard configuration type.

1-11. All displayed and recorded numbers shall follow the International System of Units (IS). This includes, at a minimum, vacuum and gas pressures, temperatures, and cooling water flow rates.

1-12. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment shall not be accepted (including parts and consumables).

1-13. The system shall include a set of manuals covering proper operation, routine maintenance, and troubleshooting for the instrument and controlling software. The manuals may be supplied in hard copy or electronic format (or both).

2. Chamber System 2-1. The chamber shall be a cylinder shape and horizontal orientation with all stainless steel construction to avoid corrosion or complicated deteriorations because of condensation and thermal effects.

2-2. The chamber shall be able to operate at the maximum temperature equal to or higher than 1650 ºC.

2-3. The minimum and maximum chamber volume of the high temperature vacuum furnace shall be from 125 liters to 600 liters. Larger is preferred, and there is not a specific maximum, however, the system must be able to be installed in the NIST facility 2-4. The chamber shall be operational from 1.0 x 105 Pa to 1.0 x 10-5 Pa.

2-5. The heating elements, shields, hearth supporters, hearth rails, and hearth plate shall be made of refractory molybdenum or tungsten only.

2-6. The uniform temperature zone (ΔT £ ± 5 ºC at 1250 ºC) shall be equal or larger than 200 x 200 x 300mm. The minimum uniform temperature zone shall be validated, in accordance with the Acceptance Criteria.

2-7. The outgassing/leakage rate of the chamber at the room temperature shall be equal to or less than 1.0 x 10-4 Pa-m3/s. This item shall be validated, in accordance with the Acceptance Criteria.

2-8. The chamber shall be constructed with a front-loading hinged door with locking clamps.

2-9. The chamber shall be constructed with a dual wall configuration such that the temperature on the chamber's external surfaces does not exceed 48 ºC during operation.

2-10. The chamber shall have a viewport with quartz and safety glasses. The quartz glass shall seal the vacuum, and the safety glass shall be removable to observe samples during operation depending on the temperature.

2-11. The chamber shall have at least one (1) extra 70 mm CF port for connecting an external device. External devices that are anticipated to be housed by the port include a leak detector, a gas analyzer, and an additional auxiliary vacuum system.

2-12. An analog pressure/vacuum gauge shall be mounted on the chamber to check the chamber pressure quickly at the front of the chamber.

2-13. The chamber temperature must be able to be monitored, displayed, recorded and exported as a text format for further analysis. (Reference Specification 6-4.)

2-14. The minimum load capacity of the specimen shall be equal to or greater than 50 kg.

2-15. The heating elements and thermal shields must be easily accessible. For the purpose of this specification, “easily accessible” means that heating elements and thermal shields shall be able to be maintained and replaced by a person who is familiar with the instrument, within eight hours.

2-16. The inner chamber shall be able to be easily cleaned thoroughly to prevent cross contamination. For the purpose of this specification, “easily cleaned” means that cleaning can be completed by a person who is familiar with the instrument within eight hours.

3. Temperature Control System and Power Supply 3-1. The high temperature vacuum furnace shall be controllable within ± 1 ºC from the room temperature to 1650 ºC.

3-2. The maximum heating rate from 200 ºC to 1200 ºC and from 1200 ºC to 1550 ºC shall be equal or faster than 50 ºC/min and 20 ºC/min, respectively, and the maximum cooling rate from 1550 ºC to 200 ºC shall be equal or faster than 100 ºC/min without a sample loaded. While the rapid gas cooling, the gas cooling unit shall be engaged by controlling and monitoring the inert gas pressure and temperature. The maximum heating and cooling rates shall be validated, in accordance with the Acceptance Criteria.

3-3. The heating/cooling shall be controlled by the Proportional, Integration and Derivative (PID) type of programmable temperature controller or a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).

3-4. The furnace power shall be controlled by at least one (1) phase angle fired type of Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR).

3-5. The furnace temperature during heating and cooling shall be controllable by both Manual Mode and Auto Mode.

3-6. The furnace temperature during heating and cooling in Manual Mode shall be controllable by both temperature and voltage.

3-7. The furnace temperature control mode (Auto Mode and Manual Mode) shall be switchable freely during heating and cooling.

3-8. The overall required electric power for operation shall not exceed the available NIST utilities 3-phase AC, 480 volts, 60 Hz, and 200 amps.

3-9. An independent high temperature limit controller shall be allowed only as a safety cut-off of the power to the heating elements to prevent an over-temperature event.

4. Vacuum System 4-1. All vacuum pumps of the high temperature vacuum furnace shall be fluid-free.

4-2. The constituent of vacuum pumps shall be one (1) turbomolecular pump and one (1) roughing pump.

4-3. The minimum pumping speed of the turbomolecular pump shall be equal or larger than 2000 l/s.

4-4. The minimum pumping speed of the roughing pump shall be equal to or larger than 20 l/s and a proper size of exhaust filter and silencer shall be installed.

4-5. All vacuum pumps shall be isolated by appropriate vacuum valves.

4-6. The connections between the turbomolecular pumps, the high vacuum gate valve, and the chamber shall use the CF flange.

4-7. The high temperature vacuum furnace shall be maintained at equal or less than 5.0 x 10-4 Pa during heat treatments at 1550 ºC for 1 h. This item shall be validated, in accordance with the Acceptance Criteria.

4-8. The vacuum pressure of the chamber at the room temperature shall be reached at equal to or less than 2.0 x 10-3 Pa within 20 minutes using the turbomolecular pump and roughing pump.

4-10. The vacuum pressure of the chamber at the room temperature shall be reached at equal to or less than 2.0 x 101 Pa within 7 minutes using the roughing pump.

4-11. The pressure of the chamber shall be read, displayed and recorded digitally over at least a range of 2.0 x105 Pa to 1.0 x 10-5 Pa.

4-12. The pressure of the roughing pump shall be read, displayed and recorded in at least a range of 2.0 x 103 Pa to 2.0 x 10-1 Pa digitally.

4-13. The high vacuum gauge (reading less than 1.0 x 10-1 Pa) shall be connected to the chamber directly by CF flange.

4-14. All vacuum valves shall be pneumatic.

4-15. All vacuum valves shall be able to operate in both Auto Mode and Manual Mode.

4-16. All vacuum valves shall have an emergency shut-off plan.

5. Inert Gas Cooling and Gas Control Systems 5-1. The high temperature vacuum furnace shall have a cooling function by inert gas.

5-2. The inert gases that must be compatible with the system are argon, nitrogen, and helium.

5-3. The cooled inert gas shall be circulated during a rapid cooling process.

5-4. The partial pressure of inert gas shall be controlled at least in a range of 2.0 x 101 Pa to 2.0 x 104 Pa. 5-5. The pressure of inert gas shall be read and recorded digitally.

5-6. The pressure of inert gas shall be controlled by a mass flow controller (MFC).

5-7. Two (2) capacity MFCs shall be installed to control the inert gas pressure.

5-8. All gas valves shall be pneumatic.

5-9. All gas valves must be able to be controlled by Auto mode or Manual mode.

5-10. The function of repeat gas flashing shall be operatable properly by a combination of roughing pump, gas valves, MFCs, and PLC by Auto Mode and Manual Mode.

5-11. All gas valves shall have an emergency shut-off plan.

6. Instrumental Control / Record System / Spare Parts 6-1. All instrumental control system and recording system shall be installed and operational as a 'turnkey' system.

6-2. The high temperature vacuum furnace shall be controllable by both Auto Mode and Manual Mode.

6-3. The furnace temperature shall be controlled by a programmable temperature controller and/or PLC.

6-4. The temperatures and the vacuum and gas pressures of the chamber must be able to be displayed on the system control panel independently and digitally.

6-5. The vacuum pump system (the turbomolecular pump and roughing pump) shall be controlled independently and manually by isolated control devices.

6-6. The vacuum pressures of the chamber and the fore line shall be displayed on the system control panel independently and digitally.

6-7. The electric voltage and current used by heating elements of chamber shall be displayed on the system control panel independently.

6-8. All parameters, furnace and chamber temperatures, vacuum pressures, gas pressures, and cooling water temperatures and pressures, etc., shall be monitored and recorded digitally.

6-9. All parameters in section 6.8 shall be exportable as a text format to be analyzed externally.

6-10. All displayed and recorded numbers shall follow the International System of Units (SI).

6-11. The emergency shut-off switch shall be installed on the front panel of control system.

6-12. Spare Parts. The Contractor shall provide a “set” of spare parts. The set shall include all of the following, at a minimum:

Safety Enclosure The system must be compliant with all State and Federal safety requirements. Complete system and operator protection must be provided by proper vacuum valve sequencing and water-flow interlocks.

Installation The Contractor shall install the high temperature vacuum furnace at the NIST site in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Installation shall include, at a minimum, set-up and hook-up of all equipment, start-up, and demonstration of specifications. Installation shall be coordinated with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) that will be identified at the time of award.

The utility specifications in the laboratory where the system will be installed are as follows:

-The electric power is 3-phase AC, 480 volts, 60 Hz, and 250 amps (including spare capacity).

-The pressure range of compressed air is from 2.0 bar to 7.0 bar.

-The chilled water temperature and the flow rate are 13 ºC and 90 L/m, respectively.

-The supply and return pressure of chilled water are 4.1 bar and 2.0 bar, respectively -The dimensions of doorway are 1750 mm (W) x 2100 mm (H) -The dimensions to fit the lab are 4000 mm (W) x 3000 mm (D) x 2100 mm (H).

-The maximum mass of the overall system shall not be over 3,000 kg.

Training The Contractor shall provide training for up to two (2) NIST personnel. Training shall include, at a minimum, a demonstration of specifications, all equipment functions, equipment operation including cleaning process the chamber system, switching the heating elements and shields, troubleshooting, and routine maintenance procedures. Training shall occur within 10 business days after successful completion of the installation of the high temperature vacuum furnace system and demonstration of all required specifications.

Warranty The Contractor shall provide at least a one (1) year warranty to include field service, travel, labor and parts that were required. The warranty shall commence upon successful completion of delivery, installation, training and demonstration of all required specifications and written acceptance by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

DELAYED MANUFACTURING/DELAYED DELIVERY

Laboratory renovations must be performed within the lab where the system will be installed. NIST is working with its internal colleagues to complete the laboratory renovations.

The Contractor shall contact the Contracting Officer’s Representative and NIST Subject Matter Expert (SME), upon award, and periodically thereafter, to discuss the delivery/ installation timeline.

To ensure timely delivery, installation and payment, the Contractor may be required to delay manufacturing/shipping for a period of time that may be as short as one month from the date of award up to six months from the date of award. The SME will communicate with the Contractor regarding the status of NIST operations and provide written notification to the Contractor when manufacturing can commence and/or the timeline when delivery can be completed.

If the Contractor chooses to manufacture the equipment upon award, the Contractor shall be responsible for storing the equipment, at their sole expense, until such time that NIST can accept delivery of the equipment.

DELIVERY

Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. The Contractor shall deliver the system to the following address:

National Institute of Standards and Technology Shipping & Receiving 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8555

COMPLETION OF WORK

Delivery, installation, training and demonstration of specifications shall be completed not later than 12 months from the date the Contractor is authorized to proceed with manufacturing.

ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

The high temperature gas-cooled vacuum furnace will be accepted by the Government upon successful completion of delivery, installation, demonstration of specifications and training.

The Contractor must demonstrate that all performance specifications and requirements of the statement of work are met.

AND

Performance specifications are met according to the following sequence:

1. The vacuum furnace shall increase the temperature up to 200 ºC by manual mode with limited current.

2. The vacuum furnace shall increase the temperature from 200 ºC to 1550 ºC by auto mode with the maximum heating rate. The vacuum pressure shall be maintained at equal or less than 5.0 x 10-4 Pa.

3. The vacuum furnace shall be held for 1 h. The vacuum pressure shall be maintained at equal or less than 5.0 x 10-4 Pa.

4. The vacuum furnace shall decrease the temperature from 1550 ºC to 200 ºC by auto mode with the maximum cooling rate using the inert gas (He gas) control and the cooling systems.

5. The vacuum furnace shall be inspected thoroughly at room temperature. The furnace shall be inspected at room temperature, and there should be no visible deformation or oxidation of heating elements and shields.

6. The vacuum pressure of chamber shall be evaluated by the roughing pump for 10 min. The vacuum pressure shall be equal to or less than 2.0 x 101 Pa.

7. The vacuum pressure of chamber shall be evaluated by the turbomolecular pump and roughing pump for 20 min. The vacuum pressure shall be equal or less than 5.0 x 10-3 Pa.

8. The high temperature vacuum furnace shall be pumped down during overnight (at least 12 hours). The vacuum pressure shall be equal or less than 5.0 x 10-4 Pa.

9. The vacuum pressure of chamber shall be monitored for 1 hour to evaluate the leakage rate after isolating the chamber from all vacuum pumps. The required leakage rate of chamber shall be equal to or less than 1.0 x 10-4 Pa-m3/s. (See Section I-2-7.)

10. The uniform temperature zone (ΔT £ ± 5 ºC) shall be evaluated by determining molten / non-molten states of alloys prepared by the TPOC (having a 10 ºC range between fully liquid and fully solid states) at 13 checkpoints in 200 mm (W) x 350 mm (D) hot zone of the furnace held for 10 minutes at 1237 ºC. See the Appendix for the schematic of 13 checkpoints and the alloy information.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Safety: The Contractor shall be responsible for knowing and complying with commercial installation safety prevention regulations. Such regulations include, but are not limited to, general safety, fire prevention, and waste disposal.

Security: NIST is a restricted campus. An identification badge is required for access for entry into buildings and is shown to the armed Security Police when entering the campus.

Identification Badges: Contractor employees shall comply with NIST identification and access requirements. The Contractor shall provide the name and citizenship information of employees for on-site visits to the NIST SME prior to arrival. The SME will submit the name(s) and citizenship information to the NIST Office of Security in order for a given Contractor employee to enter the NIST campus. The Contractor shall be responsible for delays due to missing or expired identification and/or access documents. Each Contractor employee shall wear a visible identification badge provided by the NIST Security Office while working on the NIST site.

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