SOW FOR RFQ.pdf

Request for Quotation Number 1333ND22QNB600013

Statement of Work

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Special Programs Office (SPO), Greenhouse Gas

(GHG) Measurements Program is engaged in measurement science research that seeks to improve and advance measurement capabilities for greenhouse and other trace gas fluxes to and from the atmosphere and track these fluxes through time. Central to this research is obtaining long-term records of atmospheric observations of trace gas concentrations within and outside urban areas of dense emissions.

NIST has established an Urban GHG Measurements Testbed System, located in three U.S. cities: Indianapolis, Indiana (the INFLUX testbed), the Los Angeles Basin of Southern California (the LA testbed), and the U.S.

Northeast Corridor (the NEC testbed). In the latter testbed, initial efforts are focused on the metropolitan areas of Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and the Northern Virginia suburbs (the NEC/BW testbed).

Ground-based observing networks in each testbed provide high accuracy, GHG concentration data on as near a

24/7 basis as possible. Each node of these networks is equipped with a high precision trace gas analyzer and gas mixture calibration standards of natural air. NIST uses the data from these networks to advance both its internal research efforts and those it supports in collaboration with university and other Federal Agency partners. These data are made publicly available.

The greenhouse gases of interest are carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4). Network nodes typically are based at communications towers allowing measurement of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 concentrations at various altitudes above ground level. Other atmospheric trace gases are also of interest where they represent proxies for particular emissions processes, for example, carbon monoxide (CO) and ethane (C2H6). Currently several nodes also measure carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in addition to CO2 and CH4. CO is a trace gas often co-emitted during combustion processes that also produce CO2, and the ratio of CO to CO2 in the atmosphere assists in disentangling non-combustion (or biogenic) sources of CO2 from combustion-based CO2 emissions.

Larger than previously known emissions of CH4 in urban areas have been revealed in recent research, with several studies pointing to the likelihood of large emissions due to leakage from natural gas distribution systems. Ethane (C2H6), along with CH4, is a component of the natural gas that is delivered to and consumed within the urban area by residential, commercial, and industrial customers.

The most common method successfully used to isolate and identify the sources of CH4 emissions in cities is to measure C2H6 along with CH4 in the atmosphere. Non-natural gas CH4 sources in cities are related to waste

(wastewater and solid waste) and do not emit C2H6, allowing for quick identification of the nature of specific

CH4 plumes. Furthermore, publicly available information on the composition of natural gas delivered to customers, coupled with the C2H6 to CH4 ratio in the atmosphere, can reveal the percentage of total CH4 emissions that is due to leakage from natural gas systems. Understanding the magnitude and source of CH4 emissions in cities is crucial for determining the cause of the under-estimate by current EPA inventories.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

NIST/SPO has a requirement for one trace gas analyzer with the capability of measuring both ethane (C2H6) and methane (CH4), with high precision. The analyzer will be used in the field at either a stationary site co-located with NIST’s current CO2 and CH4 measurements, or in a mobile laboratory for a field campaign. The

Government requires a portable analyzer, which could be used for either purpose.

Some initial measurements of C2H6 in the Baltimore area indicate values between 0 and 4 ppb are most common, so the analyzer must be able to achieve hourly-averaged precision at 0.02 ppb to achieve a high signal to noise. Water vapor measurements are also required to correct the other species for its interference; the water vapor measurement is thus necessary to achieve the stringent performance required of the other measurements.

This analyzer must satisfy very specific precision requirements for achieving the goals of the research program.

Its intended use in the field dictates the requirement of long-term operation with minimal repair or maintenance by a technician (months between visits), remote operation capability, remote communications through the internet and measurement stability with minimal use of calibration gases on-site.

BRAND NAME OR EQUAL

The Contractor shall provide quantity one each, MIRA ULTRA Mobile LDS (Portable/Mobile Version) with

GPS, manufactured by Aeris Technologies, or equivalent. The quoted equipment must meet all of the following salient characteristics.

SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

1. The analyzer must be able to measure ethane (C2H6) and methane (CH4) near simultaneously (within 1-second of each other) in a single continuous sample stream.

2. C2H6 precision less than or equal to 0.3 ppb (300 ppt 1-sigma at 1-second or equivalent)

3. C2H6 precision less than or equal to 0.02 ppb (20 ppt, 1-sigma at 900 second averaging).

4. C2H6 drift < 1 ppb in 24 hours.

5. CH4 precision less than or equal to 1 ppb (1-sigma at 1-second).

6. CH4 drift < 5 ppb in 24 hours.

7. Ability to measure H2O (water vapor) for correcting to dry air concentrations.

8. Internal water vapor correction in software, with the analyzer reporting both raw mole fractions for CH4 and C2H6 as well as dry-air mole fractions based on the water vapor correction.

9. Data reporting capability (via Ethernet, RS232, or other) in real time.

10. Data output frequency between 1 Hz and 0.1 Hz.

11. User must be able to change the output format of the data stream (what variables are streamed for example).

12. Auxiliary measurements required for monitoring instrument performance, including cell temperature and pressure and instrument temperature, must also be available to the user.

13. Power usage less than 40 W.

14. Temperature stabilization of measurement cell and electronics to achieve low-drift (as defined in 4 and 7 above), even in conditions that may have large temperature swings (up to 20 degrees C).

Total combined weight below 40 lbs for easy deployment by single person in a mobile application, i.e. a vehicle. For the purpose of this solicitation, “combined” refers to all components of the system that are required for measurements. Often the analyzers also require and include components that may not be housed in the same box as the analyzer, such as a pump or chiller. NIST requires that the total combined weight be 40lbs or less.

15. Capability of unsupervised remote deployment in the field (in a weather-protected building) for ~3 months. The following functionality, at a minimum, must have the ability to withstand 3 months of unsupervised remote deployment: (1) No consumables requiring replacement; (2) Ability to remotely monitor the analyzer via internet; (3) Ability to restart analyzer remotely; and (4) Automatic re-start after power failure.

WARRANTY AND SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide, at a minimum, a one-year warranty for the equipment. The warranty shall cover all parts, labor and travel. The warranty shall commence upon successful completion of delivery and confirmation by the Government that all salient characteristics have been met.

The Contractor must provide no-cost telephone assistance and troubleshooting support during the warranty period.

DELIVERY

Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. Delivery shall be completed not later than 90 days after award. The equipment shall be delivered to NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.