SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- DILUTION REFRIGERATOR
- Notice Date
- 1/12/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B130, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1410, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1410
- Solicitation Number
- AMD-15-SS10
- Archive Date
- 2/11/2015
- Point of Contact
- Lynda M Roark, Phone: 3019753725, Patrick K Staines, Phone: (301)975-6335
- E-Mail Address
-
Lynda.Roark@nist.gov, patrick.staines@nist.gov
(Lynda.Roark@nist.gov, patrick.staines@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator system to support quantum Hall research in the Physical Measurement Laboratory. The system will be situated within the Fundamental Electrical Measurements Group (FEM) as a resource accessible to NIST researchers and to outside users via collaboration to measure a wide range of physical properties of quantum Hall devices. After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, and specifications further developed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a purchase order for a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator system. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside. Measuring the properties of new quantum Hall devices is a critical part of the FEM mission. A versatile, sensitive, and easy to use cryogen-free dilution refrigerator system is required to characterize such new devices. To fulfill this requirement, NIST plans to purchase a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator system that has the capability to provide automated measurements of magneto-transport over a range of low temperatures and large magnetic fields. The measurement system shall meet the following minimum requirements: GENERAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 1.Cryogen-free: The Government requires a system in which liquid helium is not needed. A system that requires the use of liquid helium will not be accepted. A system requiring liquid nitrogen is acceptable. The minimum acceptable period of time between liquid nitrogen replenishment is 7 days; 2.Cooling Power: Minimum cooling power 400 µW at 0.1 K. 3.Dilution refrigerator operational with and without magnet. 4.Cool-down and warm-up times without magnet (between room temperature and base): The maximum acceptable time is 30 hours for both. 5.Cool-down and warm-up times with magnet (between room temperature and base): The maximum acceptable time is 70 hours for both. 6.Base temperature: The maximum acceptable temperature is 12 mK with magnet at full field and all leads connected to mixing chamber (see below) 7.Sample space and Magnet: A sample space within a minimum ±14 Tesla superconducting magnet will be provided. As part of the requirement of a cryogen-free system, the superconducting magnet must be cryogen-free. The sample space must have a minimum diameter of 40 mm and a maximum acceptable magnetic field inhomogeneity of 0.1% within a 10 mm diameter spherical volume. COMPONENT REQUIREMENTS: 8.Low-frequency leads: a.At least 72 low-frequency leads, running between the top plate and the mixing chamber, in twisted pairs (36 twisted pairs total) shall be provided. All leads shall be low-ohmic with copper leads from the top plate to the plate near 3 K and superconducting lead from the plate near 3 K to the mixing chamber. Total resistance for each lead from the top plate to the mixing chamber with system at base temperature shall be less than 2 ohms. There will be an electrostatic shield between these leads and all diagnostic (thermometer and heater) wiring. The leads shall be connected at the plate near 3 K and at the still plate, as well as at the top plate and the mixing chamber; the electrostatic shields must be electrically continuous from room temperature down to the mixing chamber. b.Wiring for one extra thermometer. Thermally-anchored wiring for a standard commercial four-lead ruthenium oxide thermometer shall be provided, satisfying the following: i.The wiring shall terminate below the mixing chamber. ii.If a single commercial temperature controller to read other thermometers in various locations is used, a separate channel in this temperature controller shall be provided that shall be connected to the four-lead wiring provided for our use. 9.System Size: The Government requires a system that is as short (distance between top plate and floor) as possible. This requirement is important given that, if possible, operation without the need of personnel climbing on ladders is advantageous. The maximum acceptable distance is 3 m. 10.Ease of Use: The Government requires a system which can be operated from open to closed to base temperature to room temperature to open by only one person (as opposed to requiring two or more people to operate some or all of the cycle). 11.Sound isolation box: The government wishes to reduce the noise coming from the pulse tube refrigerator (PTR) through the top plate of the cryostat. For this reason, the contractor shall provide panels with sound-deadening acoustical foam on all six sides surrounding the top plate (above, below, and all four sides). 12.Pulse Tube Refrigerator Compressor Location: A system in which the compressor for the pulse tube refrigerator can be located in a separate room shall be provided. The minimum acceptable distance between the compressor and the system is 10 m. 13.Vibration: The maximum acceptable amplitude of vibrations is 10 µm at the mixing chamber plate. 14.System Mechanical Support: A standard floor-based support system shall be provided. To avoid possible additional electrical noise in the system, the top plate and metal pieces inside the cryostat will be electrically isolated from the support system. The minimum electrical resistance between the top plate and the support system shall be 1  15.Computer: A system that can be controlled by a Government-supplied laboratory computer shall be provided. All necessary software shall be installed and demonstrated on the Government-supplied laboratory computer. In order to minimize electrical noise, the Government intends to use commercially-available fiber extenders for any communications ports such as GPIB, USB, and/or LAN. The system must be compatible which such optical isolation. 16.Manual/Stand-by Operation: All valves must be able to be operated by manual switches, separate from any computer operation; ``computer operation" specifically excludes any electronic touch-screen-actuated switches. Switches that are acceptable include mechanical, electrical (not controlled by digital electronics), and pneumatic. 17.Compressor for Return Line: If the high-pressure 3He return line has a compressor in it, valving shall be provided that makes it possible to bypass the compressor after the cool-down period, when the refrigerator is operating in its nominal condition at base temperature. 18.Preventive Maintenance: The minimum acceptable time between required preventive maintenance by the Government is two months. Such maintenance includes pump maintenance, compressor maintenance, changing pump oil, or any other standard maintenance required to keep equipment running in accordance with the original equipment manufacturers’ performance specifications. 19.Gaskets: Duplicates of all gaskets needed on the various vacuum components shall be provided 20.Extra low-frequency connectors: At least six of every type of cable and bulkhead mount connector necessary for government personnel to make electrical contact to the government's samples shall be provided. 21.Infrastructure requirements: a system which requires no more than the following maximum requirements on infrastructure shall be provided: a.Area: total footprint of all equipment 18 m2 b.Electrical power: maximum 50 A at each of 110/208/220/240 V. No voltages above 240 V. c.Cooling water: maximum flow 30 liters/minute d.Pneumatic (pressurized air or nitrogen gas) service: maximum 10 bar. 22.Location of turbo molecular pump: For reduction of both mechanical and electrical noise, the turbo molecular pump shall not be located at the top of the refrigerator, but instead in a remote location such as the gas handling system. 23.Past performance: a.The vendor shall have prior experience designing, constructing, and installing cryogen-free dilution refrigerator systems similar to that described in this sources sought notice, and be able to provide the names and contact information for at least 3 customer references. b.The vendor will describe the size of the user base of similar systems and number of systems sold in the past three years. c.The vendor shall have at least one similar system installed in a multi-user facility. d.The vendor shall be able to supply examples of measurement data for all measurement options. 24.Training: The vendor shall provide on-site operation and maintenance training following installation to include at least 8 hours of training for at least 3 people. The training must include system operation for all configurations, including i) operation without magnet, i) operation with magnet, and iii) any other configuration which the vendor supplies, such as longer shields to allow same physical layout, but without magnet. 25.Delivery and installation: The delivery and installation of the system in the CNST shall be completed in less than 12 months ARO NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 334516, as those domestic sources having 500 employees or less. Please include your company’s size classification and socio-economic status in any response to this notice. Companies that manufacture a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator system are requested to email a detailed report describing their abilities to Lynda.Roark@nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. The report should include achievable specifications and any other information relevant to your product or capabilities. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name of the company that manufactures the system components for which specifications are provided. 2. Name of company(ies) that are authorized to sell the system components, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address). 3. Indication of number of days, after receipt of order that is typical for delivery of such systems. 4. Indication of whether each instrument for which specifications are sent to Lynda.Roark@nist.gov are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s). 5. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/AMD-15-SS10/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, United States
- Zip Code: 20899
- Zip Code: 20899
- Record
- SN03614117-W 20150114/150112234454-565183bf140765c28ee547ca7f8c7594 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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