Dilution Refrigerator Systems

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, procuring for the US Department of Energy, seeks a dilution refrigerator system consisting of a Gas Handling System Refrigerator and two identical He3/He4 dilution inserts via RFP PR452359, with proposals due November 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT and questions due October 26, 2026. Award will be made to the responsive and responsible offeror submitting the lowest-priced offer meeting all specified requirements under a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable evaluation basis.

Place of performance is Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The contract type is Firm Fixed Price with a twelve-month performance period after receipt of order. NAICS code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) applies with a 1,000-employee size standard; this is not a small business set-aside.

The dilution refrigerator system must achieve a base temperature of 30 millikelvin, provide cooling power of 40 watts at 100 millikelvin, cool down to base temperature within two hours, and maintain operational temperature control within 30 millikelvin to 1.5 kelvin with 5% stability. The system requires a sliding seal mechanism compatible with ISO NW50 flanges for vertical position adjustment within host cryomagnet systems (35-millimeter bore diameter) and liquid helium refrigerators (45-millimeter bore). The seller must provide a Lakeshore 372 AC Resistance Bridge controller with 16-channel scanner, precision-calibrated RuO2 thermometry at the mixing chamber, three resistive heaters, two interchangeable sealed inner vacuum cans with 28-millimeter inner diameter for magnet compatibility and an optional second pair with 45-millimeter inner diameter for helium cryostats, and 30-foot stainless-steel flexible hoses connecting the Gas Handling System to the insert. The Gas Handling System tower must not exceed approximately 24–32 inches wide by 32–42 inches deep by 76 inches tall. Additional requirements include an external liquid nitrogen cold trap with 7-day hold time capacity, minimum pressure transducers on dump, insert inlet/outlet, and pump outlet, at least 12 twisted-pair wiring leads to the mixing chamber with Micro-D connectors, and complete control system with TCP/IP connectivity for remote operation and data logging.

Technical proposals must not exceed 10 pages excluding resumes and must address personnel qualifications, principal investigator/project director credentials, technical objectives, approach, methods, schedule, facilities, and supporting considerations. Proposal validity is 120 calendar days. Payment terms are Net 30 for large business or international offerors and Net 15 for small business, via electronic funds transfer.

Offerors must certify export control compliance covering Trigger List items, Military/Space items, and Dual Use items; Buy American compliance for offers exceeding $15,000; prohibition of equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, or Dahua; and lobbying disclosures for offers exceeding $200,000. Seller must provide calibration certification with traceability to SI standards and ILAC MRA accreditation, operating and maintenance manuals, and comply with quality significant clauses requiring factory testing verification of cryogenic performance, cool-down specifications, base temperature achievement, and vacuum integrity. Contact: Bill Mitchum, Procurement Officer, mitchumwc@ornl.gov or (865) 341-2745.