Aircraft or spacecraft equipment, trainers, simulators and associated parts

Tender description

“Please note, the procurement procedure did not result in a contract award as no compliant bids were received” UK Research and Innovation is a world-leading multidisciplinary science organisation, whose goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people - and more broadly to the world UKRI through it's component council, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The RAL Space Division requires shroud panels for 2 Space Test Chambers to replace the current shroud panels in STC2 and STC3. This contract is for a single integrated requirement and not suitable for splitting in to lots. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), a component Research Council of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is a world-leading multi-disciplinary science organisation, whose goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people – and more broadly to the world. At its Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), STFC’s RAL Space has 2 (two) 5m Diameter Vacuum Chambers, referred to as Space Test Chamber 2 and 3 (STC-2 and STC-3). This procurement is for the design, manufacture, supply and delivery to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory of Body Shroud Panels for use in STC-2 and STC-3. STC-2 and STC-3 at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory will be used for calibration and characterization testing of satellite instruments. The 2 chambers are very similar with minor differences. There are 46 shroud panels covering the whole internal surface of each chamber and they provide temperatures ranging from -193C to 130C. Each shroud panel is cooled by a Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) system which involves distribution of LN2 from a LN2 tank outside R100 to the phase separator (installed on a mezzanine floor on top of the chamber) to 12 valve boxes distributed on the outside shell of the chamber. The valve boxes then feed the Liquid nitrogen to different panel zones. Each panel is heated by a number of heaters which are powered by mains. Each shroud panel is instrumented with thermocouples for monitoring and control of the panel temperature. The chamber has a Cryogenic system consisting of a roughing pump and 5 Cryogenic pumps. These pumps are used to achieve operational vacuum pressures in the 1E-5 to 1E-7 mbars range. There are other systems that control operation of the chamber e.g. chamber door operation, cleanroom laser interlock and hence safety logic will be needed to prevent systems working in opposition to each other e.g. chamber door opening while cryogenic pumps are working to bring the chamber to vacuum pressures. This procurement is for replacement thermal shroud panels for integration into its 2 (two) 5m Space Test Chamber (STC) 2&3. In order for the new replacement shrouds to fully integrate with the existing (already installed) shroud support systems the new shroud panels will have to satisfy interface, weight and space envelope requirements of the existing shroud panels.