PWS FOR SOL09102020.docx

Performance Work Statement (PWS) For Technical Support and Maintenance of OpenFOAM Software

1.0 Background:

1.1 With the progression of computational processing power over the years, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solvers have become widely used in academia and industry to simulate the physics of various experiments/operations. One CFD software that has gained traction in recent years is OpenFOAM, which is a free, open source software package that enables users to readily develop their own custom continuum mechanics solvers. OpenFOAM is distributed exclusively under the General Public License, which gives users the freedom to modify and redistribute the software and a guarantee of continued free use.

1.2 The Energetics and Warheads Directorate of Combat Capabilities Development Center (CCDC) - Armaments Center desires to increase the state of the art in interior ballistics modeling and simulation through CFD simulation. With higher fidelity modeling tools readily available, interior ballisticians can more effectively develop charge designs and ignition systems that perform efficiently and reliably. This in turn will provide greater confidence in the safety concerns associated with gun launch testing (e.g., potential breech blowouts) and will reduce the number of costly iterations required for system prove-out.

2.0 Scope:

The contractor shall provide telephonic technical support in the development of a multiphase, multidimensional interior ballistics solver using the OpenFOAM software architecture.

3.0 Applicable Documents: N/A

4.0 Performance Requirements:

4.1 The contractor shall provide support including technical, electronic as well as telephonic assistance in the development of the solver (e.g, programming assistance, debugging the code, using internal functions in the OpenFOAM toolbox), and developing the appropriate programmatic algorithm to numerically solve the governing equations, which are provided in “The Flow of Compressible Gas Through an Aggregate of Mobile Reacting Particles,” by P.S. Gough (McGill University, 1974). The aforementioned equations will be extended to a multi-dimensional solver and will utilize a Lagrangian-Eulerian frame of reference vice the Eulerian-Eulerian approach. During development, the solver will then be validated by CCDC-AC with use of experimental data to ensure that the physics and numerical implementation of the solver are valid. During the validation phase of the program, the contractor is expected to provide technical consultation to CCDC-AC to rectify any nonphysical results.

4.2 The contractor shall provide technical consultation such that engineers at CCCD-AC can appropriately leverage the OpenFOAM software architecture and develop a well-maintained/documented custom interior ballistic solver. This documentation will be developed by CCDC-AC and the contractor is expected to review and concur with the technical portions of the documentation. Upon completion, the general solver shall be maintained by the maintainers of OpenFOAM such that it is supported with future releases of the program and new features can easily be added to the solver. This is permissible since the governing equations of the solver are generic in nature and all proprietary correlations regarding specific gun configurations and propellants can be exclusively maintained by CCDC-AC (i.e., as input to the generic solver).

4.3 The contractor support shall be provided to the needs of the CCDC-AC engineers’ schedule and project schedule to the best extent possible. The support shall include teleconference time, correspondence, solver modifications, tutorials (e.g., modifying an existing solver or leveraging internal functions in OpenFOAM), briefing preparation/support for numerically solving the system of hyperbolic partial differential equations, software compilation, and input/output analysis requested by engineers at CCDC-AC. Any adjustments or changes of the above must be approved by the United States Government.

4.4 Period of Performance: One year from contract award and four (4) one-year options.

4.5 Place of Performance: Contractor’s facility only, and all support will be exclusively provided via telephone or email.

5.0 Performance Requirements Summary/Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)

5.1 Inherently Governmental Functions:

5.1.1 The contractor shall not provide inherently governmental functions as defined in FAR

6.0 Security:

6.1 The highest level of classification is UNCLASSIFIED

7.0 Contracting Officers Representative (COR)

TBD