120 kW 49 MHz Circulator for the Bunch Splitting RF System

The Department of Energy Office of Science, through Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, is seeking qualified contractors capable of supplying three 120 kW 49 MHz circulators for the Electron-Ion Collider's hadron storage ring bunch-splitting RF system, with a Request for Information due August 14, 2026. This is an RFI only; no solicitation has been released and no payment will be made for responses.

The circulators protect RF system components from reflected power during cavity operations. Work is performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. The circulator must operate at 49.2 MHz (range 44.2 to 54.2 MHz) with steady-state forward and reverse power of 120 kW each, insertion loss not exceeding 0.1 dB at nominal frequency and 0.2 dB at minimum and maximum frequencies, and minimum 26 dB return loss and isolation at nominal frequency. Interface requirements include EIA 6 1/8" coaxial connections, 1" NPT male coolant connectors, and FSMA arc detector viewports. Construction must use aluminum and/or stainless steel with at least three crane-lifting holes compliant with ASME BTH-1-2023, forklift capability, and vertical mounting capability; Teflon-based materials are excluded. Copper or stainless steel water-cooling piping is required. Optional active compensation units must comply with 19" rack standards and operate on single-phase 120 VAC at 60 Hz.

Contractors must address ten information requests covering company capabilities, high-power testing capacity, lead times broken down by non-recurring engineering and production phases with delivery intervals for subsequent units, minimum order quantities, pricing for one unit with two options versus three units outright, costs for a hold point after first unit delivery, proposal validity period (120 days preferred), impact of quantity changes, and U.S. manufacturing capabilities. Responses must include a compliance matrix against the SOW and technical specification, along with budgetary pricing. Submit electronically to Eric Nagel at enagel@bnl.gov with RFI No. 04152025-CAB in the subject line.

NAICS 334515, PSC 6625.