LBNF Argon Condensers System 1 & 2

A global neutrino physics community is developing a leading-edge, dual-site experiment for neutrino science and proton decay studies, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), hosted by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, IL (the Near Site).

The facility required for this experiment, the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment-US (LBNF/DUNE-US), is an internationally designed, coordinated and funded program. Once it is completed, it will comprise the world's highest-intensity neutrino beam, at Fermilab, and the infrastructure necessary to support massive, cryogenic detectors installed deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), 800 miles (1,300 km) downstream, in Lead, South Dakota (the Far Site).

The LBNF/DUNE-US Project is also responsible for the facilities to house the experiment's near detectors on the Fermilab site.

The LBNF/DUNE-US beamline will be built off Fermilab's existing Main Injector, extracting a proton beam from this source and using magnets to direct the proton beam toward the DUNE detectors. Once the beam direction is established, the protons will smash into a target creating secondary particles, most of which decay into neutrinos in the decay pipe and continue traveling in the same direction. An absorber will stop the leftover secondary particles, creating a very pure beam of neutrinos for the experiment.

More information may be found at https://lbnf.fnal.gov

Interested parties are highly encouraged to review the information available on the website provided in order to better understand the significance of the experiment, the breadth and scope of the associated construction efforts to be undertaken at Fermilab, and how efforts here will inform scientific understanding for years to come.

At the Far Site, Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA), authorized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of High Energy Physics, will plan, design, and install massive neutrino detectors, each housed in cryostats requiring almost 70,000 tons of liquid argon (LAr), about 17,500 tons for each cryostat. DUNE (http://www.dunescience.org) is expected to achieve transformative discoveries, making definitive determinations of neutrino properties, examining the dynamics of supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and probing the possibility of proton decay.

FRA is seeking firms to provide the engineering, manufacturing, testing and delivery of the Argon Condensers Systems supporting cryostats 1 and 2. Delivery is to the LBNF warehouse facility located in Rapid City, South Dakota USA. The installation is performed by FRA under a different Subcontract with the possibility to assist during installation and/or to perform the installation as well. An overview of the scope is provided in the attached Draft Statement of Work dated May 2024.

Anticipated Dates for Solicitation/Award:

• Solicitation Issued: February 2025
• Solicitation Period: ~8 weeks
• Award of Subcontract: November 2025
• Final Delivery: No later than April 2027

The dates and details specified in this notice are subject to change as FRA continues to develop and refine its acquisition strategy.

This Sources Sought notice is a tool for FRA to gauge the number and availability of firms in the global marketplace that may be able to successfully complete the Argon Condensers System scope within a timeframe that ensures uninterrupted progress of the LBNF/DUNE-US project. FRA will utilize information received in response to this Source Sought notice to structure its acquisition strategy for the Argon Condensers.

All expressions of interest must be accompanied by a completed Market Research Questionnaire, which is attached to this notice. The Questionnaire results will be utilized by FRA to understand the capabilities that exist in the vendor community.