99 -- MISCELLANEOUS

Notice Date

August 3, 2001

Contracting Office

USDA, Forest Service, Region 1, Procurement and Property, P.O. Box 7669, Missoula, MT 59807

ZIP Code

59807

Solicitation Number

RFP R1-01-37

Response Due

September 17, 2001

Point of Contact

For additional information contact Selena Odlin at (406) 329-3229.

E-Mail Address

sodlin@fs.fed.us (sodlin@fs.fed.us)

Description

The USDA Forest Service intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with TSI, Incorporated, to acquire a particulate sizing Instrument for the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, Montana. The Fire chemistry Research Work unit is currently funded to study the application of LIDAR technology to the problem of the accurately determining the concentration and dispersion of particulate matter in smoke from wildland fires. To calculate the concentration of particulate matter in the smoke plumes, knowledge of the particle size distribution is needed. Currently there is very little information available on the size distribution of particulate in wildland fire smoke and there have been no studies done to show how the distribution may change with factors such as relative humidity and vegetation type. As a part of the LIDAR research, a study will be undertaken at the Fire Sciences Laboratory to determine particle size distributions for a number of vegetation types burned under a variety of environmental conditions. Particulate size measuring instruments will need to be purchased to accomplish this task. There are a number of companies offering particle size measuring equipment, but most of these determine the size by using the principle of light scattering from a LASER source. The instruments using light scattering principles as their method to determine particle size distribution are not suitable for this study as, the minimum size of particles to be measured in the instrument specifications cannot be met with current light scattering technology. The measurement of particles down to a diameter of 30 nanometers is required; the lower detection limit with current light scattering instruments is approximately 300 nanometers. Since LIDAR systems use the light scattering principle to make measurements, particle size instruments also using this principle will not provide an independent method of determining the particle size distribution. After an extensive literature search, it was found that recent measurement of particulate size distribution from combustion sources (such as diesel exhaust studies) have been made with instruments using diffusion mobility and time-of-flight measurement principles. Using diffusion mobility principles, high resolution measurements down to 10 nanometers in heavy particle concentrations can be achieved. Accurate size determination up to 20 micrometers can be made using time-of-flight techniques. Offerors who believe they can satisfy these requirements must address the above concerns in their proposal, which must be done in writing and received by the above-listed date. TSI, Inc., is the only known organization with the combined experience and expertise required to perform this work. See Numbered Note 22.

Web Link

sodlin@fs.fed.us (http://www.usa.gov/procurement/index.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010807/99SOL002.HTM (W-215 SN50T8Z2)