RWP - High Pressure Air System Expansion

The RWP due date has been extended to 10 July 2026. _______________________________________ Solicitation Number: RWP-HPASE-26-001 Project Title: High Pressure Air Storage Expansion (HPASE) Issuing Office: Air Force Test Center (AFTC)/PZIA, Arnold AFB, TN Authority: 10 U.S.C. § 4022, Other Transactions for Prototype (OTP) Projects 1. Overview The United States Air Force, on behalf of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold AFB, TN, is soliciting white papers for a prototype project under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4022. The objective is to procure innovative solutions for the design, fabrication, installation, and commissioning of a High Pressure Air Storage Expansion (HPASE). This RWP is the first step in a multi-step solicitation process. The Government intends to award one or more Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype agreements resulting from this solicitation. Offerors are invited to submit a white paper of no more than 15 pages addressing their proposed technical and management approach. The Government will evaluate submitted white papers based on the criteria outlined in Section 7.0. Offerors who submit the most compelling solutions may be invited to submit a full proposal and engage in further discussions. The Government reserves the right to award a prototype agreement based on the initial white paper submission alone. Note: Interested parties must meet current NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC Level 2 (Self) certification requirements. For access to the protected requirements documents, contact the Agreements Officer(s) with your company’s CAGE code. NIST and CMMC certification will be confirmed before protected documents are sent via DoD SAFE. 2. Background High Pressure Air (HPA) is a critical utility for testing activities at AEDC. The existing HPA system has insufficient capacity to meet current and future testing demands, and its storage vessels are nearing the end of their service life. This project seeks to address these shortfalls by replacing existing storage vessels to extend the system's life and installing new storage vessels to increase overall HPA capacity. 3. Project Objectives & Definition of Success Definition of Prototype Success: Operational Utility Operational utility, within the Department of War, refers to the degree to which a system, weapon, technology, capability, or process contributes to the successful completion of military missions and objectives within the operational environment. It encompasses mission effectiveness, integration, logistics, cost effectiveness, and adaptability. A successful prototype project will be one that delivers a fully operational, integrated, and sustainable system(s). The primary objective is to deliver two new, independent, and fully functional HPA storage systems at AEDC. The scope includes all engineering, design, analysis, procurement, demolition of specified legacy components, fabrication, installation, inspection, and testing required for the systems. The new installations are expected to be generally consistent in form and function with the existing test facility installation (see Appendix F for reference), with the scaling as noted in the requirements documents. The solution must be installed at the specific locations identified in Appendix E and integrated with existing infrastructure at the designated tie-in points. 4. Key Performance Parameters The proposed prototype must satisfy, at a minimum, the following critical performance parameters (details may be found in the Performance Parameters and Appendices): Storage Capacity: Each location shall provide the following storage volumes: Location 1: 27,000 ft³ (±5%) Location 2: 6,800 ft³ (±5%) Operating Pressure: The HPA distribution system must be designed for a pressure of no less than 4,400 PSIG. Pressure Loss: The system shall induce no more than 50 PSID of pressure loss from any bottle's discharge to the connection point with the existing HPA distribution system. System Integration: The solution must seamlessly connect to the existing HPA distribution system at the headers specified in Appendix E (NPS 4 for Location 1 and NPS 18 for Location 2). Connections must feature double-block-and-bleed valve protection. Control System Compatibility: All control hardware and software must be compatible with the existing AEDC infrastructure, exclusively utilizing: Emerson RX3i Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) Proficy Machine Edition 9.5 for PLC software Cimplicity 9.5 for the HMI interface 5. Key Technical and Site Constraints Offerors must address the following specific technical and site constraints in their white papers: Vessel Requirements (Ref: Appendix G): Fabrication: Vessels shall be integrally forged, single-wall construction, designed per ASME BPVC Section VIII, Div. 1, and registered with the National Board. Layered vessels are not acceptable, and welding on the vessels (including for lugs) is prohibited. Material: Low Alloy Steel, ASME SA-372, Grade L. Design Life & Fatigue: Vessels must have a 40-year design life and be capable of withstanding specified fatigue cycles, including 204 full pressurization/depressurization cycles per year and 100 "blow down" cycles per year. Configuration: Each vessel shall have a minimum volume of 94.8 ft³, a 24-inch outside diameter, and top/bottom nozzles configured as specified. Site & Installation (Ref: Appendix E): The new systems shall be installed only within the designated "Bottle Farm Location" boundaries identified. Location 2 installation may require a pipe bridge over Schriever Ave. Data Rights: The Government shall receive Unlimited Data Rights to all technical data, analysis, drawings, software, and code produced in the performance of this effort. 6. White Paper Format and Content Interested offerors shall submit a white paper (not to e…