SAM #80GRC026RFI01

NASA Glenn Research Center RFI: Special Test Equipment Vacuum Chambers, Thermal Shrouds, and Thermal Conditioning Units

NASA Glenn Research Center is seeking industry input on the development and procurement of advanced Special Test Equipment (STE) for lunar simulant soil testing: - Government Buyer: - NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) - Products/Equipment Requested: - Large vacuum chambers (rectangular, up to 19' tall, 11' wide, 20' long; 5x10^-8 Torr vacuum; 10-ton max section weight) - Must accommodate multiple large flanges, have fully welded internal vacuum welds, and #4 machine-polished internal surfaces - Designed for recessed pit or floor installation; doors operable without heavy equipment - Materials must meet ASME BPVC Section VIII or approved alternatives - Thermal shrouds for vacuum chambers - Capable of handling fully flooded liquid nitrogen and rejecting up to 100 kW heat load - Interior high emissivity paint, multi-layer insulation, removable, instrumented with thermocouples - Piping per ASME B31.3 or Section VIII; supports heavy test articles - Modular or zoned shroud feasibility requested - Thermal Conditioning Units (TCUs) - Precise temperature control from 90K to 425K - At least 10 kW heating and cooling capacity - Nitrogen as working fluid; comparable to Dynavac TCU400–TCU1500 - Price, capability, and lead time differences requested - Notable Requirements: - Equipment must meet ASME standards - Used for testing with lunar simulant soils - NASA requests ROM (Rough Order of Magnitude) costs, lead times, and feasibility feedback - No specific OEMs or part numbers provided; NASA is open to partial solutions - Place of Performance: - NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

Description

This notice is issued by the NASA/Glenn Research Center (GRC) to post a Request for Information (RFI) on understanding the development needs for Special Test Equipment (STE) vacuum chambers, thermal shroud, and Thermal Conditioning Units (TCU). This RFI solicits responses from interested parties. This document is for information and planning purposes only while allowing industry the opportunity to comment on the reasonableness and feasibility of such equipment and whether or not there may be an interest to collaborate on such equipment. NASA would also like ROM costs and lead times for the equipment listed below. An entity does not need to be able to supply all components to respond to this RFI.

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