Studies of changes for processing both Low Activity Waste (LAW) and High Level Waste (HLW) waste at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of River Protection, Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.

synopsis of proposed contract action FAR SuBPARTs 5.1 & 5.2 Contract No: 89304018CEM000006 Procurement Type: Notice of Intent to award a Sole Source Contract (Special Notice) pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Classification Code: B - Special Studies and Analysis - Not R&D NAICS Code: 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (Size Standard $14M) Title: Studies of changes for processing both Low Activity Waste (LAW) and High Level Waste (HLW) waste at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of River Protection, Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. Description: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of River Protection (ORP) plans to award by means of other than full and open competition, pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, "Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements", to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, School of Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering located in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Rutgers). The purpose of the proposed award is to conduct studies to support a successful implementation of the proposed changes in the processing of both Low Activity Waste (LAW) and High Level Waste (HLW) waste streams. The proposed direct feed strategy for waste treatment for DOE-ORP tank wastes is going to affect glass formulations and waste loadings and will have impacts on the downstream vitrification operations. The proposed direct feed strategy is expected to present two major challenges during vitrification of Direct Feed Low Activity Waste (DFLAW) and Direct Feed High Level Waste (DFHLW) in continued services to support DOE-ORP waste treatment efforts. This strategy will address (1) high concentration of alkali/alkaline-earth sulfates, phosphates and chromates in waste melter feeds which will lead to salt formation on the melt surface, thus leading to several potential problems associated with melter operation as have been highlighted by Vienna et al. (1. J. D. Vienna, D.-S. Kim, I. S. Muller, G. F. Piepel, and A. A. Kruger, "Toward Understanding the Effect of Low-Activity Waste Glass Composition on Sulfur Solubility," Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 97[10] 3135-42 (2014)); and (2) corrosion of K-3 refractory in the melter due to high alkali and alkaline-earth content in the waste feed leading to reduction in the melter lifetime. Therefore, this effort will be focused on understanding and elucidating the compositional, structural, and thermo-kinetic drivers governing the above-discussed problems. This will allow the government to optimize the glass compositions in order to achieve higher sulfur loadings while enhancing the melter lifetime. Further, a part of this work will also focus on continuation of ongoing effort towards understanding the compositional dependence of nepheline crystallization in HLW glasses. The aggregate value of the contract and modifications shall not exceed $1.6 million (M) over the entire three year duration. Rutgers has an experienced and knowledgeable faculty in glass technology and has over six years of experience with the research for HLW glass technology aimed at waste treatment in support of DOE-ORP's Environmental Management (EM) program coupled with a deep understanding of the principles of the vitrification process. DOE-ORP previously determined that Rutgers is the only institution having the glass research and operations capability to perform the contract. Likewise, Rutgers is also determined to be the only institution uniquely capable of performing these additional in-scope services without disruption to the current EM mission. Although DOE-ORP is not currently aware of other sources capable of filling this requirement. DOE- ORP invites qualified and interested Small Businesses (NAICS Code 541990, Size Standard $14M) to submit a Statement of Capability for DOE-ORP review and a determination whether this requirement could be procured competitively. For questions regarding the technical aspects of this requirement, contact Albert A. Kruger, Glass Scientist, at +1 (555) 000-0000. For other questions regarding this planned contract action, contact Margit Larrieu, Contracting Officer, at +1 (555) 000-0000 or by e-mail: contact@example.gov