--- title: "Supply and Installation of a Hydrogen Reactor for Processing of Magnetic Scrap (HPMS) Vessel, to the University of Birmingham" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-02b914" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02b914" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02b914.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02b914.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM" published: "2021-07-27" --- # Supply and Installation of a Hydrogen Reactor for Processing of Magnetic Scrap (HPMS) Vessel, to the University of Birmingham Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-02b914 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02b914) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02b914.json) ## Summary The University of Birmingham is actively seeking tenders for the supply and installation of a bespoke hydrogen reactor for processing magnetic scrap, specifically the HPMS vessel. This project is classified under the goods category with a focus on pressure vessels, and it is funded by UK Research and Innovation as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The procurement is currently at the tender stage, with key dates including a submission deadline originally set for 7th July 2021, now extended to 21st July 2021. The vessel will be installed at Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham, and the total estimated value of the tender is £610,000. This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in the design and manufacturing of specialised pressure vessels, particularly those with experience in hydrogen processing technologies. Companies that can provide innovative solutions for magnet recycling and are familiar with the specifics of large-scale production processes will be well-suited to compete. Additionally, firms offering expertise in environmental sustainability, as this project aims to enhance the recycling capabilities of permanent magnets, will find fertile ground for business growth in this procurement. ## Notice This project is funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund; Driving the Electric Revolution under grant agreement 1524086 The University of Birmingham invites tenders for supply of a bespoke, hydrogen processing of magnet scrap (HPMS) vessel. The HPMS vessel will be the largest magnet recycling plant of its kind in the UK and will focus on processing of end of life magnets containing magnetic scrap. The HPMS vessel is based on a patented technology, developed at the University of Birmingham, in which hydrogen is used to extract neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnet powder from end of life permanent magnet containing products. During the P a g e | 3 HPMS process, sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets, which are embedded in end of life products, are loaded inside a vessel, which is then sealed, evacuated, back filled with an inert gas (e.g. Argon or Nitrogen), evacuated and then filled with between 1-4 bar of hydrogen at room temperature for between 1-4 hours. Once exposed to hydrogen, the sintered Nd-Fe-B undergoes the hydrogen decrepitation (HD) process and breaks down into a friable, demagnetised, hydrogenated powder. Often the end of life products containing the Nd-Fe-B material are encased within some sort of housing so the hydrogenated powder needs to be liberated from the scrap using mechanical agitation through a porous sieve stage. This is typically performed by rotating the scrap within a porous drum (3-5 mm pore size) within the HPMS vessel, after which the powder falls into a sealable collection pot at the bottom of the vessel, which can then be unloaded under an argon or nitrogen atmosphere (O2 = < 5 ppm). It would be an advantage if the HPMS vessel could be inertly loaded with scrap in this application through a hopper system or that flanges were in place to retro-fit this. The extracted alloy powder will be converted into recycled NdFeB magnets using further processes, which do not form part of this tender. The HPMS process has already been demonstrated at the 5 kg scale using a 300 L vessel at the University of Birmingham. The main objective of the new HPMS vessel will be to scale this technology up to 200-300 kg batch sizes. Note, due to the space requirements of the system, the large scale HPMS vessel will be installed at the Tyseley Energy Park (TEP). ### Lot Information Lot 1 This project is funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund; Driving the Electric Revolution under grant agreement 1524086 The University of Birmingham invites tenders for supply of a bespoke, hydrogen processing of magnet scrap (HPMS) vessel. The HPMS vessel will be the largest magnet recycling plant of its kind in the UK and will focus on processing of end of life magnets containing magnetic scrap. The HPMS vessel is based on a patented technology, developed at the University of Birmingham, in which hydrogen is used to extract neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnet powder from end of life permanent magnet containing products. During the P a g e | 3 HPMS process, sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets, which are embedded in end of life products, are loaded inside a vessel, which is then sealed, evacuated, back filled with an inert gas (e.g. Argon or Nitrogen), evacuated and then filled with between 1-4 bar of hydrogen at room temperature for between 1-4 hours. Once exposed to hydrogen, the sintered Nd-Fe-B undergoes the hydrogen decrepitation (HD) process and breaks down into a friable, demagnetised, hydrogenated powder. Often the end of life products containing the Nd-Fe-B material are encased within some sort of housing so the hydrogenated powder needs to be liberated from the scrap using mechanical agitation through a porous sieve stage. This is typically performed by rotating the scrap within a porous drum (3-5 mm pore size) within the HPMS vessel, after which the powder falls into a sealable collection pot at the bottom of the vessel, which can then be unloaded under an argon or nitrogen atmosphere (O2 = < 5 ppm). It would be an advantage if the HPMS vessel could be inertly loaded with scrap in this application through a hopper system or that flanges were in place to retro-fit this. The extracted alloy powder will be converted into recycled NdFeB magnets using further processes, which do not form part of this tender. The HPMS process has already been demonstrated at the 5 kg scale using a 300 L vessel at the University of Birmingham. The main objective of the new HPMS vessel will be to scale this technology up to 200-300 kg batch sizes. Note, due to the space requirements of the system, the large scale HPMS vessel will be installed at the Tyseley Energy Park (TEP). ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012707-2021 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Goods | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 27 Jul 2021 | | Submission deadline | 7 Jul 2021 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £610,000 | | Lots value | £610,000 | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM | | Locality | BIRMINGHAM | | Post town | Birmingham | | Postcode | B15 2TT | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands | | ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham | | Local authority | Birmingham | | Electoral ward | Edgbaston | | Westminster constituency | Birmingham Edgbaston | | Delivery location | TLG West Midlands (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 24 - Chemical products - 31 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting - 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus) ### Codes - 24111000 - Hydrogen, argon, rare gases, nitrogen and oxygen - 31630000 - Magnets - 44615000 - Pressure vessels ## Release History - 27 Jul 2021 at 17:14 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012707-2021 - 30 Jun 2021 at 10:57 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014930-2021 ## Notice URLs - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofbirmingham/aspx/Home - https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02b914. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02b914.json.