NREL Integrated Biorefinery Facility (IBRF) Air Compressor (AC) Replacement

Amendment 3 - posted 6/29/2023. See attachment for more information. Amendment 2 - posted 6/14/23. See attachments for more information. Amendment 1 - posted 5/25/23. See attachments for more information. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a national laboratory owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). NREL is the only federal laboratory dedicated to research, development, commercialization, and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. NREL is managed and operated for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy (Alliance), the “M&O Contractor.” In a typical large-scale process run at the Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility (IBRF) the process equipment requires a large amount of compressed air which is provided primarily by two existing air compressors. The fixed speed drive Atlas air compressor which produces the largest volume of compressed air in the IBRF acts as a supplemental air compressor to the Sullair air compressor during these runs to meet the compressed air demand needed. However, the heat load that is created by the Atlas air compressor during long frequent process runs has become problematic for a number of reasons. To avoid overheating the compressor and its surrounding area, the Power Distribution Unit (PDU) exhaust fans are required to operate constantly, and the rollup overhead door adjacent to the Atlas is left open for the duration of the process runs to create additional ventilation. Even with these measures, significant amounts of heat still accumulate in the area around the Atlas air compressor. The aggregate heat can even reach a level at which nearby fire alarm sensors need to be temporarily turned off to avoid activation. These operational measures to make process runs possible are concerning due to the amount of energy usage that is required to run the fans to cool the Atlas air compressor, the security implications of leaving the overhead door open for long periods of time, and for the lack of fire detection when the heat sensors are taken offline. Description of Work: The purpose of the project is to replace the existing 125HP Atlas and 30HP Sullair air compressors in the IBRF North High Bay with two new variable speed drive 75HP mid-size air compressors with built-in fans that are rated for high heat conditions to conform to the elements of a typical process run and to help eliminate some of the current undesirable measures that need to be taken to handle the heat load during the run. The two new air compressors would run in a lead-lag configuration mostly since the maximum demand is just under 300 SCFM. There are also instances when the demand is roughly 600 SCFM and both compressors would need to run simultaneously. The new air compressors would also have a dedicated piping system to separate supply/distribution systems from other systems in the North High Bay to help meet the needs of the facility. Add Alternate #1: Relocate the existing DI system, chiller, and vacuum pump currently located in IBRF Room 273 to IBRF Room 265. Location: Offerors shall have a bona-fide office located within 50 miles of NREL’s South Table Mountain Campus or shall be able to demonstrate their capability to perform in these areas: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) South Table Mountain Campus (STM) 15013 Denver West Parkway Golden, CO 80401 Other Requirements: No subcontract award will be made to any contractor that is not registered or in the process of registering with the System for Award Management (SAM). Please visit the SAM website at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration for instructions on how to register.