44 -- TEMPERATURE CHAMBER

Notice Date

November 1, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, NUWC Division Newport, Simonpietri Drive, Newport, RI, 02841-1708

ZIP Code

02841-1708

Solicitation Number

N66604-02-Q-0513

Response Due

November 9, 2001

Point of Contact

Jeanne Whiteman, Contract Negotiator, Phone 401-832-1927, Fax 401-832-4820, Email whitemanjy@npt.nuwc.navy.mil -- Lisa Brazil, Contract Negotiator, Phone 401-832-1437, Fax 401-832-4820, Email brazillm@npt.nuwc.navy.mil

Description

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport has a requirement to purchase one Temperature Chamber (36" wide x 36"high x 40" deep) front to back. Capabilities must include automatic control and recording of dry bulb temperature and % humidity at any test point within the ranges specified. The exterior of the cabinet shall be sealed to prevent vapor penetration. The interior liner shall be constructed of Type 304 stainless steel, not less than 20 gauge thickness. All seams of the interior liner shall be heliarc welded and completely passivated and normalized. The liner shall be reinforced on the insulation side with ribs and the floor shall be capable of supporting a 200 lb. per square ft. uniform load, maximum 600 pounds. Accessories shall include a multipaned viewing window located in the door; one internal light with external switch, two utility ports equipped with a removable rubber stopper located on opposite walls and one manual window wiper. All interior parts of the chamber that are in contact with conditioned air shall be fabricated of non-corrosive material. The chamber shall be adequately insulated with a minimum of 4 inches of Fiberglass Urethane and reflective aluminum. The chamber shall be equipped with a full front opening door of the same construction as the cabinet is to provide full access to the workspace. The exterior dimensions of the test chamber shall not exceed approximately 54" wide x 82" high x 67" deep, front to back. The refrigeration system shall consist of two 4 HP units, minimum; cooling shall be accomplished by convective heat transfer. The cascade refrigeration system shall utilize Freon (non-ozone depleting) chemical refrigerants. The compressors shall be semi-hermetic (serviceable) driven at 1750 RPM. Suction and discharge piping vibration isolators shall be provided for both the high and low stage compressor. The ambient cooling and dehumidification systems shall be provided with a suction line accumulator. An oil separator with automatic float control shall be furnished on the low temperature system. A drier unit shall be provided for both refrigerant systems. High and low pressure cutout switches shall be provided on both refrigerant systems. An expansion tank shall be provided in the low temperature system to enable the refrigerant charge to be stored at ambient temperatures without creating an excessive pressure. The system volume will be selected for a maximum of 180 PSIG at +110 degrees Fahrenheit. Capillary type expansion valves shall be utilized. The refrigeration system shall be provided with a remote air-cooled condenser equipped for winter operation. All interconnection piping shall be hard soldered. The inside of the tubes shall be purged with dry nitrogen when welding to prevent oxidation. The cold lines shall be insulated and vapor-sealed. Leak testing and charging shall be accomplished at a pressure of 200 PSIG with a minimum of 30 PSIG of Freon pressure. The components shall be commercially available and have the standard working pressures. Regarding air condition equipment, air shall serve as the heat transfer medium and shall be recirculated by one or more fans located in the conditioning compartment. The fan motor(s) shall be mounted externally so as not to subject the motor(s) to the temperature extremes of the chamber. The air cooling and dehumidifying coils shall be constructed of copper tubes with aluminum fins. Heating shall be accomplished by convective heat transfer. Electric air heaters with a capacity of 6 K.W. shall be located in the conditioning compartment and wired in separate circuits to provide a selection of heat input. The air heaters shall be of the open-element nichrome type mounted on ceramic standoffs in stainless steel holders. A safety device shall be incorporated in the heater circuits to prevent excess temperatures in the chamber in the event of failure of the control instrument or of the control equipment. Humidification shall be created by a steam generator constructed with a glass housing for cleaning and visual inspection. The generator shall be equipped with an immersion heater, modulating water float valve, safety thermostat with air overflow and drain connection. The steam generator shall be equipped with a heater to vaporize the water for increased humidities. The water level shall be automatically maintained with a proportioning water level controller. A deconcentrator shall be provided to minimize accumulation of minerals and other impurities. Dehumidification shall be obtained by means of a cooled surface located in the conditioning compartment, operating in conjunction with the refrigeration system. The refrigerated surface shall condense water vapor from the air at the rate required to maintain the % humidity at the control point. Maximum efficiency shall be obtained with a finned tube surface. The relative humidity shall be determined by the dry bulb-wet bulb method. The readout shall be in % humidity. The reservoir shall be stainless steel heliarc welded and passivated. The water level shall be automatically maintained with a separate remove float assembly. The control circuit shall include the necessary switches and relays and instruments for control of the equipment. The power circuits shall be controlled by heavy-duty relays which have shunt trip circuit breakers. The electrical wiring and components shall conform to the National Electric Code. The electrical equipment shall operate on 220 volt, 3 phase, 60 cycle power. A sheet metal instrumentation panel shall be mounted on the side of the chamber. All components shall be accessible from the front of the panel. The chamber controller shall be a microprocessor based programmer/controller system to provide fully automatic environmental testing and shall be a two-channel model for simultaneous control of temperature and humidity. The unit shall be capable of accepting test programs up to 51 steps and then run automatically without surveillance and shall have programming capability for eight event control circuits. The unit shall contain an adjustable high-low temperature cut-out system that will automatically shut down the chamber if present temperature of humidity extremes is exceeded. The humidity readout should be in % R.H. An RS-232 or IEEE talk/listen interface port will be provided to allow remote computer control of the computer. The total system shall be RFI free. A 24-hour chart recorder for dry bulb and % Relative Humidity will be included as part of the system. The Temperature Range shall be: From -100 degrees F to 350 degrees F. The Humidity Range shall be from 20% to 95%, throughout the dry bulb temperature range of 35 degrees F to 135 degrees F limited by a 35 degree F dew point temperature, also 15% R.H. at 106 degrees F. The Pulldown Rate shall be from +70 degrees F to -100 degrees F within 90 minutes. The Heatup Rate shall be from +70 degrees F to 250 degrees F within 20 minutes. When the test chamber is ready for shipment, the contractor shall furnish two (2) copies of handbooks or manuals covering complete installation, disassembly, operating and maintenance instructions. A complete parts list must also be included in the manuals. In addition, copies of handbooks and manuals of auxiliary equipment (controls, compressors, etc.) will be furnished. The chamber shall be tested and checked for proper operation and conformance to purchase specifications prior to shipment. The supplier shall provide a field engineer to supervise the installation, startup the equipment, and run all necessary acceptance tests. Final inspection and acceptance shall be at NUWCDIVNPT upon the successful completion of all tests. The chamber shall be equipped with a safety door switch to shut off the conditioning equipment when the door is opened. It shall also be equipped with high-low temperature cutout with manual reset to protect the cabinet against excessive temperatures. A request for quote will be released on or about 5 November 01 using FAR Part 12 and Part 13. All responsible sources may submit a quotation which shall be considered by the Government. Award is expected on or about 15 November 01. This acquisition is 100% Set Aside for Small Business. Delivery will be F.O.B. destination, Newport, RI. The NAICS Code for this requirement is 332410. Telephone requests will not honored. Our department no longer issues solicitations or amendments in paper form. Instead, they may be accessed at our web site=20 http://www.npt.nuwc.navy.mil/contract/. We also provide electronic access in our Bid Room.

Web Link

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Record

Loren Data Corp. 20011105/44SOL001.HTM (D-305 SN512089)