The Creep Laboratory at NETRA is a critical enabler of safe and reliable operation of high-temperature power plant components, focusing on the assessment of creep deformation the slow, time-dependent strain of materials under sustained stress and elevated temperatures. Creep assessment is essential to prevent sudden failures of boilers and pressure parts, accurately determine residual life of in-service components, enable life extension of ageing assets, and support qualification of advanced materials for next-generation power plants. By providing scientifically validated data, the laboratory underpins informed decisions for plant safety, efficiency enhancement, and sustainable operation across subcritical, supercritical, and advanced ultra-supercritical regimes.
Facilities and Capabilities
• High-temperature testing capability as per international standards (including EN 10291)
• Precise measurement of time-dependent deformation under constant load and temperature
• Controlled test environments for accelerated simulation of long-term service conditions
• 25 advanced creep rupture testing machines
• Accelerated creep-rupture testing of new and advanced boiler materials
• Residual creep life assessment of in-service boiler tubes and components
• Material performance evaluation for:
o Subcritical power plants
o Supercritical power plants
o Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (A-USC) power plants
• Technical support for failure analysis, plant life extension, and R&D initiatives