Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF AUGUST 08, 2009 FBO #2814
MODIFICATION

42 -- DIVER BREATHING AIR COMPRESSOR CASCADE SYSTEM

Notice Date

8/6/2009
 

Notice Type

Modification/Amendment
 

NAICS

333912 — Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
 

Contracting Office

Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Procurement Section, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia, 20535
 

ZIP Code

20535
 

Solicitation Number

RFQ-LDQ002359
 

Archive Date

8/26/2009
 

Point of Contact

Dina Olibah, Phone: 7038144830, Lynda M. Theisen, Phone: 703-632-8067
 

E-Mail Address

Dina.Olibah@ic.fbi.gov, Lynda.Theisen@ic.fbi.gov
(Dina.Olibah@ic.fbi.gov, Lynda.Theisen@ic.fbi.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Amendment #4 RFQ09-LDQ002359 The purpose of this amendment is to 1) respond to questions received that are deemed beneficial to answer for all prospective offerors; 2) extend response deadline to August 11, 2009 at 4pm ET. 1. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q1) Nitrox Generator Drive Type: What "drive air" source is required? There are 2 primary drive air sources for Nitrox generation systems, low-pressure or high pressure. High-pressure drive air sources typically originate from banked air and are reduced through regulators and flow controllers to provide "drive air" for the PSA or Membrane system. High-pressure drive air systems are typically confined to short duration cycles and are not considered "continuous' in terms of supply (a contradiction to the current specification). Low-pressure "drive air" systems utilize rotary-screw, scroll, reciprocating, or rotary vane low-pressure compressors coupled with an engineered accumulator tank, refrigerated dryer, and purification system to provide supply air to the Nitrox Generator. There is a wide range of cost and duty-cycle parameters to consider within this option as well. Rotary Screw compressors with ultra-low oil-particulate output, breathing air quality lubrication, and Nitrox Generator compatible purification are widely considered the "state-of-the-art" with all parameters considered. The 1st question in this category is: low-pressure or high-pressure drive air? The 2nd question in this category is: If low-pressure, what type? A1) Nitrox Generator Drive Type: The only air source for the Nitrox Generator is the compressor being requested. As a result, the "drive air" is high pressure off the cascade. The current usage of Nitrox is small. As for duty cycle parameters, we are on the low side. It is anticipated we would be filling Nitrox cylinders at a rate of around 10-20 dive tanks per month. Therefore, the system shall be configured so that the Nitrox system is connected to the compressor and the fill station. The compressor will be started and we will direct fill Nitrox cylinders in the fill station. At this time, there is no intention to "bank" Nitrox. As our mission posture expands, and the need for Nitrox increases, we will plan on adding a Nitrox cascade at a later date. Q2) Ventilation Requirements: Ambient temperature and management of the heat load produced by the machinery is an essential design consideration in terms of breathing air (Nitrox) safety and machinery life expectancy. A general rule of thumb for assessing heat load is to recognize each 10-hp of compressor produces around 26,000 Btu/hr. The ~ 500 CFM ventilation blowers will NOT begin to address even the smallest system to meet this spec. If a low-pressure drive air system is selected, this will double the heat-load as a general rule. The failure to address this vital engineering component of the "system" will lead to premature failure of the high-pressure compressor and cause an incredible reduction in purification capacity. As a rule or thumb, purification ratings in the industry are calculated at an ambient temperature of 70-degrees F. A re-calculation of the same purifier at 100-degrees F will yield less than 50% capacity. Many high-pressure purification systems will not function in a predictable manner above 100-degrees F. It is highly probably that the temperature in the room described in this application will exceed 100-degrees F in a matter of minutes without addressing the concern. We recommend that this issue is addressed with the HVAC engineer on site and that each vendor supply their heat load calculations to that HVAC engineer. A2) Ventilation Requirements: The heat loading has been taken into consideration. This 4'x8' room listed is a subset of a larger assembly. This is a small room off of the main work room for the dive space. The compressor and Nitrox system will only be running when the doors to the room are open. With the doors open, there is an additional 3100 cu. ft. of immediately available air space. It should also be noted that the entire air volume is contained within a fully climate controlled space. The ambient air temperature within the space is maintained at approximately 70-degrees F. The ceiling mounted exhaust fan was specified to be a minimum of 500 cfm. This will provide for a complete air exchange within the room every 45 seconds. This heated air is discharged outside the environment. The current compressor usage is minimal. It is not anticipated the compressor will run more than 4-6 hours per month. As our mission posture expands and the need increases, additional ventilation capacity can be added if necessary. Q3) Purification Element Monitoring: Electronic monitoring of the health of the purification element is nearly essential. The addition of the CO monitor is a reasonable and beneficial improvement to the original specification but this does not directly address purification; only one gas. The true-life of the element is typically limited by the saturation point of the chemical dryer in the 3-media element. The organic catalyst in the element will nearly indefinitely convert the full range of typical hydro-carbons (including CO) to harmless by-products if kept perfectly dry. The entire mechanical (ACD) and chemical drying process is designed and constructed to protect this final purifying media. If/when the chemical dryer immediately prior to the organic catalyst becomes sufficiently saturated with moisture the catalyst begins to fail in its ability to process noxious gases. In the currently described system, there is not a method for "real-time" monitoring of this failure; it appears to be left up to a manual schedule for purification element change. Manual schedules can/do work providing that the operator maintains a detailed log, has access to baseline operation data, and re-calculates the purification life expectancy at each log point based on actual ambient operational temperature (at compressor inlet) and the baseline data. It is recommended that the specification be modified to include an electronic purification monitoring system. The additional benefit when integrating electronic purification monitoring is that the purification element is utilized to its maximum capacity saving time and money. A3) Purification Element Monitoring: As mentioned previously, the current planned usage is minimal. Furthermore, the system will be operated by a full time professional team, and regular system monitoring and maintenance is considered a top priority. As our mission posture expands, we may look at making this modification in the future. Q4) Nitrox Generator Capacity: There appears to be a discrepancy between the Breathing Air Compressor performance (22 CFM) and the Nitrox Generator capacity (20 CFM). What are the actual parameters? Is the Breathing Air Compressor rated at charging rate (re-calculation of re-charging a cylinder from a certain minimum pressure to a rated full pressure) or actual F.A.D at a certain outlet pressure? A4) Nitrox Generator Capacity: The primary use of the compressor system is to provide Grade "E" air to the cascade system. The Nitrox Generation is a secondary requirement. Based upon prior experience, it was determined a compressor with a fill rate of 22 cfm would best meet our needs. When the decision was made to add Nitrox ability to the system, it appeared the minimum fill rate for most Nitrox Generation systems was 20 cfm. These are minimum requirements. Q5) Air Inlet/Operating Temperature / Nitrox Generator Outlet Temperature: The most common averaged inlet temperature maximum for the proven designs of Breathing Air Compressors on the market today is 100-degrees F. Many Nitrox Generator designs utilize high-temperatures to produce greater flow rates at a "lower cost" without adequately explaining the ramifications of this financially driven design choice. These systems typically yield inlet temperatures in the range of 115-135 degrees F; exceptionally high and in direct contradiction to the industry standards. The alternative to higher temperatures is efficient design and core-membrane element selection. The higher efficiency (and more expensive) designs operate well within the Breathing Air Compressor Industry max-inlet temperature standards. The additional upside is that the operator can anticipate a typical service/maintenance lifespan and easily maintain adequate breathing air standards. High-inlet temperatures reduce the effectiveness of the mechanical moisture separator system (ACD) transferring the bulk load (90%+) to the chemical dryer (meant to handle less than 10% of dryer requirement), ultimately causing an extremely pre-mature failure of the purification system. What is the maximum inlet temperature directly from the Nitrox Generator to the Breathing Air Compressor specification? How is this controlled? We recommend a Nitrox Generator Specification for operation at/below the 100-degree F point and a shut-down temperature controller integrated to the heater system in the Nitrox Generator and at a set-point consistent with the 100-degree F, Breathing Air Compressor Industry standard for inlet temperatures. A5) Air Inlet/Operating Temperature/Nitrox Generator Outlet Temperature: As the Nitrox Generator will be utilizing high pressure drive air; the inlet temperature of the Nitrox will be very low due to the cold temperatures created by the decrease in air pressure. Also, as mentioned above, the operating times will be minimal. Therefore, we do not believe it necessary to specify the Nitrox Generator must operate at or below 100 degrees F as the nature of high pressure drive air systems already dictate this. Q6) SCUBA Containment Fill Station: This critical safety device should include a specification relative to testing standards for blast containment that is relative. We recommend that only Independently Tested Containment Fill Stations which were found to protect the operator from overpressure and fragmentation per NFPA 1901 or equivalency be considered. A6) SCUBA Containment Fill Station: The specification states the system shall have a bullet proof enclosure. The FBI does not deem it necessary to specify NFPA 1901. Q7) Complete System Engineering Package: It is very rare that a project as significant as this with life-safety matters at hand be developed without a formal engineering plan. The engineering plan should be completed in concert with the GC, the electrical engineering group (true e-load calculations), structural engineers (hanging shelf/bottles of compressed gas on a wall), the HVAC engineering firm (total heat load calculations and management), and fire/safety concerns. The actual bid specification should be a result of this first exercise. A7) Complete System Engineering Package: The formal engineering plan is not necessary. This is a new construction project and as such, has been included in the design specifications of the building from the beginning. All items specified (electrical, HVAC, structural, fire/safety, etc.) have been considered prior to this solicitation. Q8) Could you specifically define what the 22 CFM requirement means? Is it Free air Delivery (FAD) or Charging rate? A8) The 22 CFM requirement is the charging rate. Q9) Does the building have a central chilled water air conditioning system that may be able to supply chilled water to water cooled compressors? A9) The building does not have a central chilled water system. All cooling will need to be done via air or supplied chiller Q10) Will you consider alternative mounting arrangements to mounting the cylinders on the walls? The cylinders weighing approximately 400 lbs each will weigh 1,600 lb total. A10) Alternative mounting arrangements will be considered. The cylinders can be mounted against the wall behind the fill station or possibly placed in an adjacent room. Q11) Will a forklift and/or jack pallet be available for positioning the heavy equipment? A11) Arrangements will need to be made in advance but, a forklift and/or jack pallet can be made available. END OF QUESTIONS 2. RFQ RESPONSE EXTENSION The RFQ response deadline has been extended from August 11, 2009 10:00am ET to August 11, 2009 4:00pm ET. ***** REMINDER: To ensure that sufficient information is available, the quoter must furnish as a part of its quote all descriptive material (such as cuts, illustrations, drawings, or other information) necessary for the purchasing activity to: (i) determine whether the product offered meets the salient characteristics requirements of the combined synopsis/solicitation, and (ii) establish exactly what the quoter proposed to furnish and what the Government would be binding itself to purchase by making an award. The information furnished may include specific references to information previously furnished or information otherwise available to the purchasing activity. Vendor shall acknowledge receipt of Amendment number 3 and 4 on each copy of the offer submitted
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOJ/FBI/PPMS1/RFQ-LDQ002359/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Fredericksburg, Virginia, 22406, United States

Zip Code: 22406
 

Record

SN01901903-W 20090808/090807000337-77f4b06c6366416eb82cd1d3da194e32 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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