Lockheed Martin Energy Research, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6192

A -- CONTINUOUS PROCESSING OF SUPERCONDUCTING COATINGS ON TEXTURED METALLIC SUBSTRATES SOL LBC3599rah DUE 031599 POC Lance B. Copeland -- Subcontract Administrator, 423/576-2095; Sonny Rogers -- Section Supervisor, 423/576-1434 WEB: Internet Homepage Address for LMES Procurement Division, http://www.ornl.gov/procurement. E-MAIL: click here to contact the Subcontract Administrator,, q2c@ornl.gov. Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation, (the "Company"), acting under its Prime Contract No. DE-AC05-96OR22464 with the United States Department of Energy (DOE), invites you to submit an expression of interest for receiving a Request for Proposal for superconductivity research and development. Proposals will be accepted for a minimum 50 percent industry cost-shared subcontract or cooperative agreement between the Company, managing contractor for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the proposer to develop a continuous process for manufacturing long lengths of superconducting coatings on buffered, textured metallic substrates. Industry cost-share must be from a non-federal source. The Department of Energy's national laboratories have demonstrated the capability to produce short samples of these superconducting coatings with unprecedented capability to carry electrical current. The development of private sector capability to continuously manufacture long lengths would help enable a revolution in the electric power sector. The proposer will demonstrate the capability necessary to take the present laboratory concepts for second generation High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) tape, advance the most promising concept to the point where development quantities may be made available to a number of researchers, implement a continuous process whereby the necessary quantities of tape are, in fact, delivered to the DOE national laboratories, and demonstrate the ability to fabricate RE-123 HTS wire possessing the following minimum performance characteristics: 1) current carrying capability of 100 -- 1000 A (77 K, H<= 0.1 T); 2) critical current density (Jc) of at least 5 x 10**5 A/cm**2 in lengths from 10-100 meter (77 K, self field); 3) engineering critical current density (Je) in excess of 1 x 10**4 A/cm**2 (3 T, 65 K); 4) width, thickness, and mechanical strength commensurate with cable and magnet or coil systems manufacturing needs; and 5) operating temperature range: 4.2-77 K. The proposer will select a concept based upon ongoing research and development work involving YBCO HTS tape development. The proposer will develop a continuous process to fabricate RE-123 coated conductor tape with techniques and processes which are believed to be scalable in a manufacturing environment and in a cost-competitive manner. The proposer will produce RE-123 tapes with minimum piece lengths of 10-m and will provide up to 3-km of RE-123 HTS coated conductor tape to national laboratory staff for their evaluation and use in candidate HTS systems under development. The anticipated duration of the project is 36 months. Interested parties may obtain the Request for Proposals by contacting the subcontract administrator by 4:00 p.m. EST March 15, 1999. Requests for Proposals will be issued to all responding parties only by electronic means, by close of business March 16, 1999. Closing date for receipt of proposals is 4:00 p.m. EST April 5, 1999. Posted 03/05/99 (W-SN305321). (0064)

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