This Request for Quote (“RFQ”) is an invitation to prospective Proponents to submit Quotes for the provision of a two (2) Controlled Atmosphere Glove Box Systems, including installation and on-site training.
The requested equipment will be used to carry out carcinogen exposures at targeted physiological oxygen concentration. The glove boxes will enable the Principal Investigator (PI) to set up samples at the target atmosphere in gas-impermeable incubation vessels.
General Description:
The intended use of the glove boxes is summarized here. A glove box, with experimental samples inside, will be equilibrated at a given target O2 concentration. (custom gas mixtures that have defined O2 concentrations of interest.) The Gloves Box System wil be used to set up experimental samples at the target O2 concentration. Once set up, samples will be sealed into a gastight glass incubation chamber (while inside the glove box). The incubation chamber (with samples sealed inside) will then be relocated into an incubator which will be situated outside of the glove box. Gas supply will then be connected to the incubator to continuously perfuse the incubation chamber with the target O2 concentration throughout the incubation. The University of Ottawa requires two glove box systems which can stably maintain O2 concentrations as low as 10 ppm.The glove box must be engineered to exacting standards with materials that are minimally O2 permeable. The proposed Glove Box System must include a mechanism for automatic filling and evacuation cycles to equilibrate the glove box with an intended gas mixture.
Minimum Requirements:
1.Glove Box System (Quantity 2, Identical Configuration)
1.1 - Must stably maintain O2 concentrations of ≤ 10 ppm or 0.001%.
1.2 - Must have an airlock (for transferring samples in or out) that is separate from main chamber of glove box.
1.3 - Must include at least one vacuum pump to evacuate gases. A single pump can be shared between two glove boxes.
1.4 - Must include all necessary tubing and fittings.
1.5 - Must include at least one monitor for O2 concentration that can be placed in the glove box and that detects down to 1 ppm.
1.6 - Must include gloves made of material that is minimally permeable to O2, such as butyl or neoprene.
1.7 - Must include base stand or table to support each glove box.
1.8 - Must include lighting fixture(s) inside glove box.
1.9 - Must have at least four 115V grounded electrical sockets inside glove box (can be provided in form of power strips).
1.10 - Must be of stainless steel, aluminum, and glass construction (no plexiglass, fiberglass, or similar polymers, which are leaky to O2).
1.11 - Must include mechanism for automatic filling and evacuation of system.
1.12 - Must have O2 permeation < 0.2 ppm per minute when system is closed.
1.13 - Must not exceed 1.7 m in overall width.
1.14 - Must have ports for 1 pair of gloves.
1.15 - Main chamber must be at least 90 cm wide, 70 cm high, and 50 cm deep.
1.16 - Airlock must be at least 40 cm wide, 45 cm high, and 45 cm deep.
1.17 - Must include sealing covers for glove ports, to minimize gas permeability during filling/evacuation cycling.
1.18 - Each Glove Box must be equiped with a Gas Purifier
