Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Culham Science Centre
Abingdon
OX14 3DB
Contact
Matt Burton
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
National registration number
N/A
Internet address(es)
Main address
http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority
Buyer's address
https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Company/CompanyInformation/Index/72814
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=38259&B=UK
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Fusion Research
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Cryogenic Irradiation of Superconductors
Reference number
44831
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 71335000 - Engineering studies
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
UKAEA’s principal mission is to lead the commercial development of fusion power and related technology and position the UK as a leader in sustainable nuclear energy.
One project within UKAEA’s remit is the STEP programme which is looking to design a commercially viable, compact fusion reactor, collaborating with partners to build a UK prototype by 2040.
The magnet system in STEP, which confines the plasma, will operate at cryogenic temperatures (<30K) and will be exposed to ionising radiation, primarily neutrons and gamma rays. There is a requirement to understand how the magnet materials will behave under these conditions. In order to characterise the behavior of these materials at these temperatures, UKAEA is exploring the feasibility of exposing samples to neutron radiation at cryogenic temperatures and maintaining the samples in a cold chain until analysis.
The STEP programme is seeking to understand the potential avenues to acquire this data and seeks responses.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 09343000 - Radioactive materials
- 09344000 - Radio-isotopes
- 42151000 - Nuclear reactors
- 71323200 - Plant engineering design services
- 98113100 - Nuclear safety services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) was formed in 1954 when the UK Government set up a new body to oversee the nation’s nuclear research programme. UKAEA’s principal mission is to lead the commercial development of fusion power and related technology and position the UK as a leader in sustainable nuclear energy.
One project within UKAEA’s remit is the STEP programme which is looking to design a commercially viable, compact fusion reactor, collaborating with partners to build a UK prototype by 2040. The first major milestone is for STEP to produce a viable concept design by 2024.
The magnet system in STEP, which confines the plasma, will operate at cryogenic temperatures (<30K) and will be exposed to ionising radiation, primarily neutrons and gamma rays. There is a requirement to understand how the magnet materials will behave under these conditions. In order to characterise the behavior of these materials at these temperatures, UKAEA is exploring the feasibility of exposing samples to neutron radiation at cryogenic temperatures and maintaining the samples in a cold chain until analysis.
The STEP programme is seeking to understand the potential avenues to acquire this data and seeks responses from the following types of organisations:
Organisations with access to a reactor or beamline, with the capacity to irradiate several samples to a fluence of at least 1022 neutrons/m2 in under a year. The expectation is that multiple samples will be irradiated simultaneously, although this is not an absolute requirement if the flux is high enough to still allow several samples to reach the desired fluence in the given timeframe.
Organisations with the engineering capacity to design and/or manufacture experimental equipment for insertion of cryogenically cooled samples into a reactor or beamline.
Organisations such as test reactor institutes, or engineering companies with access to test institutes.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
2 January 2023
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes