The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting quotes for equipment for the Center for Neutron Research to perform quinquennial surveillance on systems associated with the reactor.
The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) owns and operates a heavy water-moderated nuclear test reactor and associated neutron beam research facility. The NCNR’s reactor is licensed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) under the name National Bureau of Standards Reactor (NBSR).
Under its license, the NCNR is required to perform surveillances on systems associated with the reactor. The equipment to be purchased is required to meet quinqennial surveillance.
The equipment requirements include:
- Measures in a mixture of the following gasses: Helium(He) + Hydrogen(H2) + Deuterium(D2) + Tritium(T2). The gas mixture is at atmospheric (ambient) conditions (1 atm, and 25 deg. C).
- There is no need for the equipment to distinguish between H2, D2, and T2, which from a chemical point of view are all equal to H2.
- The equipment must be capable of establishing the combined partial pressure of H2, D2 and T2 (i.e. pH2+pD2+PT2) between a range of 0 and 0.10 atm, with an absolute accuracy of 0.01 atm.
- The measurement is intended to prevent the mixture from becoming a combustible gas mixture, which has been administratively defined as pH2+pD2+PT2 < 0.04 atm.
- The dominant Hydrogen species in the gas mixture is D2, followed at considerable distance by H2 and T2.
- Connections shall be possible to allow He2 gas flow to and from the chamber maintaining all gas within the system and the equipment.
Further details are available via Solicitation Number: SB1341-15-RQ-0239. The response deadline is Mar 24, 2015.