Metallurgy & Failure Analysis Laboratory, NETRA has been providing high-end scientific support to NTPC Stations in the area of failure analysis and condition assessment of various power plant components. The laboratory is equipped with metallurgical equipment like precision cutting machine, automatic mounting & polishing machines, electrolytic etching / polishing machine, simple lab microscope, stereo-microscope, ultrasonic cleaning machine for sample preparation. Further state-of-art optical metallurgical microscopes for observing the microstructural features and micro-hardness testing machine are available in the laboratory.
Metallurgy & Failure Analysis Laboratory is in the process of acquiring sophisticated instruments like optical emission spectrometer, state-of-art metallurgical equipment for advanced ultra super critical boiler components to augment the existing facilities and enhance research & development capabilities of the laboratory. The laboratory also involves in dissemination of knowledge in the form of workshops and sharing of laboratory experience. The group has many service credentials to its name in which its timely analysis and advice have solved critical issues of NTPC power plants as well as other SEBs including few international cases. Metallurgy & Failure Analysis Laboratory is NABL Certified Laboratory under ISO17025:2005 Electron Microscopy Laboratory:
A state-of-art Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) attached with Energy Dispersive X-ray analyzer is available for aiding in failure analysis. The equipment is used in :
1. Study of fracture surfaces of failed components
2. Identification of the type and nature of failure
3. Topography & morphology of the surfaces
4. Study structural changes during heating (limited)
5. Phase contrast in metals and alloys
6. Identification of elemental composition such as inclusions, grain boundary phases and particles
Laboratory is in the process of acquiring Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) for the study of advanced materials