A -- R & D AND ANALYSIS FOR FUEL CELLS, ETC.

Notice Date

October 12, 2000

Contracting Office

U.S. Department of Energy Albuquerque Operations Office Contracts & Procurement Division P.O. Box 5400 Albuquerque NM 87185-5400

ZIP Code

87185-5400

Solicitation Number

DE-RP04-01AL67057

Response Due

December 15, 2000

Point of Contact

Point of Contact: Robert D. Lowther 505-845-6839 Nancy Hoffman (505) 845-4127.

E-Mail Address

Robert Lowther, Contract Specialist (rlowther@doeal.gov)

Description

THIS IS A PRESOLICITATION NOTICE FOR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS FOR FUEL CELLS, FUELS FOR FUEL CELLS, AND COMPRESSION IGNITION DIRECT INJECTION ENGINES; ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES FOR TRANSPORTATION AND STATIONARY POWER The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to issue a solicitation for financial assistance applications on or about November 15, 2000 for research, development and analysis of automotive and stationary fuel cell power systems, fuels for fuel cells, and Compression Ignition Direct Injection (CIDI) engines. Direct injection engines and fuel cells have been selected for their potential to achieve up to 3 times the fuel economy of comparable conventional vehicles, meet emissions standards, and offer the same level of performance and cost as today's family sedan. Fuel cell technology is cross-cutting throughout the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Office of Power Technologies and the Office of Transportation Technologies have closely coordinated this solicitation. Fuel cell topics include research, development and analysis on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells for transportation and stationary applications, and fuels for fuel cells. Specifically, proposals are being sought for the development of (1) fuel cell components; namely, alternative catalyst formulations that demonstrate higher voltage than current reformate fuel cells, high temperature membranes with requirements for transportation and for building applications, low-cost, high-volume fabrication processes for membrane-electrode assemblies, and manufacturing process development for molding composite bipolar plates at high volume; (2) fuel processing components; namely, advanced water-gas shift catalysts and fuel processor subsystems that have improved start-up and transient operating characteristics, sulfur tolerance, and reduced size and weight; (3) balance-of-plant components; namely, compressors/expanders that maximize efficiency at part-load operation, sensors for determining the presence of and/or concentration of chemical species and physical parameters of the fluid flows and the fuel cell system components, and water management and heat exchanger components; (4) on-board vehicle hydrogen and oxygen content enhancement techniques; (5) hydrogen production and storage technologies; namely, advanced on-board chemical hydride storage systems, advanced chemical hydride standardized testing procedures and facilities, and low-cost hydrogen reforming/storage for fueling station use; (6) fuel cell stationary power system demonstration utilizing renewable fuels; and (7) technical analyses/assessments; namely, precious metal availability and cost for PEMFC commercialization, auxiliary power systems for transportation, identification and evaluation of candidate fuels for fuel cell vehicles, status of the fuel cell industry and suppliers, DOE fuel cell program effectiveness, and codes and standards to support the deployment of fuel cell vehicles. The primary technical barrier facing automotive CIDI engines is the development of combustion and emission control technology able to reliably meet stringent emissions targets while maintaining high fuel efficiency. The portion of the solicitation addressing CIDI engines includes research, development, and analysis in the following topical areas: (1) Sensors for CIDI engines focusing on NOx, Particulate Matter (PM), and wide-range oxygen sensors for use with emissions control technology in light-duty vehicle applications; (2) sulfur traps for removing sulfur from CIDI exhaust supporting the development of trap technologies to compliment and enable sulfur sensitive emission control devices (NOx and PM); (3) sulfur tolerant catalyst materials compatible with fuel sulfur levels of 15 ppm or higher that improve the sulfur tolerance of catalyst materials used in NOx and PM emission control devices that are currently limited by their sulfur sensitivity; (4) innovative approaches for restoring full performance (>99%) of emission control devices; (5) cost analysis for an integrated emission control system that is designed to lower CIDI engine emissions from baseline values to specified tailpipe emission levels; (6) research on Homogeneous-Charge Compression-Ignition (HCCI) engines as a potential back-up technology to the CIDI engine; and (7) status of worldwide combustion and emission control technology for direct injection engines. The Department of Energy anticipates that approximately 42 cooperative agreements will result from this solicitation. It is anticipated that approximately 35 cost-shared awards related to fuel cells will be made. Approximately $80,000,000 in DOE funding is anticipated for the fuel cell awards with periods of performance ranging from 24 to 36 months. Under the CIDI portion of the solicitation there will be approximately 7 awards, with periods of performance ranging from 12 to 48 months and with total estimated DOE funding of $12,000,000. Cost sharing requirements will vary from 20 to 50 percent, depending on the topic area, and will be specified in the solicitation. Awards are subject to the availability of funds and the solicitation will not obligate DOE to make any award(s). Any U.S. non-profit or for-profit organization, university or other institution of higher education, or non-federal agency or entity is eligible to apply. Federal laboratories may not participate. The solicitation will provide further guidance in this area. Awards resulting from this solicitation will be subject to the requirements of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) 42 U.S.C. 13525. In order to foster U.S. competitiveness in these emerging technologies, it is desirable that >90% of the total work effort be conducted in the United States. The total work effort includes work performed by subcontractors and consultants. The solicitation will be available on or about November 15, 2000 on the DOE Albuquerque Internet Home Page at http://www.doeal.gov/cpd/readroom.htm under the heading "Solicitation Reading Room," Solicitation No. DE-RP04-01AL67057 and the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System at http://doe-iips.pr.doe.gov/busopor.nsf with applications due February 15, 2001. DOE encourages the submission of a preapplication and will issue a letter, approximately two weeks after receipt of the preapplication, to each applicant indicating a favorable or an unfavorable response. Failure to submit a preapplication or an unfavorable response to a preapplication does not preclude submission of a full application. Preapplications may be submitted until December 15, 2000. Any amendments to the solicitation will be posted on the Internet. Please note that prospective applicants will not be alerted when the solicitation is issued on the Internet or when amendments are posted on the Internet. Prospective applicants are therefore advised to check the above Internet addresses on a daily basis. Any requests/questions regarding the solicitation and its amendments shall be directed to Robert (Bob) Lowther, DOE Albuquerque (address noted below). The cooperative agreements are expected to be awarded on or about August 15, 2001. All responsible sources may submit an application that shall be considered by the government. DOE-AL points of contact Contracts Office Robert Lowther Contract Specialist (505) 845-6839 (505) 845-5181 Fax rlowther@doeal.gov Program Office Joe Rudolph Program Manager (505) 845-4414 (505) 845-4430 Fax jrudolph@doeal.gov

Web Link

Doing Business with DOE-AL (http://www.doeal.gov/cpd/default.htm)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20001016/ASOL004.HTM (D-286 SN504250)