Milestone in Sri Lanka's nuclear energy sector:

NCNDT to boost industrial productivity

Sri Lanka's first National Centre for Non-destructive Testing, opened recently in Kelaniya and, will suffice for the missing piece in Sri Lanka's industry to compete with its regional competitors and have a winning edge.

The Centre which comes under the purview of the Atomic Energy Authority will enhance quality and productivity in the Industrial Sector satisfying a long- felt need, Project Director T.M.R.Tennakoon told the Sunday Observer.

"Sri Lanka was lagging behind without internationally certified testing laboratories to compliment our production process.

The National Centre has filled a vacuum in this spehere," he said. The certification from the centre will be in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) standards.

Training

Sri Lanka had been using NDT technology for various industrial purposes for 30 long years.

In addition to offering inspection services to industries, the Atomic Energy Authority was training, and certifying staff in this sphere up to Level 3 qualification on a small scale to cater to the public and private sector needs.

But this is the first ever certified laboratory to be built in the country to meet the industry challenges.

The foundation stone for the centre was laid in October 7, 2011 on a one and half acre land at Bulugaha Junction, Kelaniya.

It was ceremonially opened by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Technology and Research Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka recently.

The National Centre has been built at a cost of Rs.594 million.

Milestone

At the ceremony, Minister Ranawaka said this centre was a milestone in Sri Lanka's nuclear energy sector. "This is one of many examples that Nuclear energy can be used for non-destructive purposes to serve the mankind," he added.

The International Atomic Energy Authority had facilitated the local technical staff to under go training in several countries in the Asia Pacific region including Japan, China, Pakistan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam on the NDT technology. The Sri Lankan officials also travelled to IAEA headquarters in Austria as part of their training .

Safe environment

The Minister commended his officials for making the project a reality in such a short span adding that general masses ensured of a safe living environment and unemployed youth trained as skilled NDT professionals will be the greatest beneficiaries of this project in addition to local exporters and industrialists.

Minster Basil Rajapaksa said the Centre will satisfy future challenges in Sri Lanka's industrial sector. The National Centre will be geared to initiate commercial operations by the end of this year.

Sri Lanka's march towards becoming the Wonder of Asia, needs an expedited expansion in the industrial sector, keeping this in mind, and the country's ambition to create a knowledge based economy, the project strives to enhance services to maintain the competitiveness of Sri Lanka's goods among countries in the region.

The objective of the NCNDT project is to establish a National Centre with well equipped accredited laboratories facilitating incorporation of NDT methods into the production process.

It will also create internationally rated skilled professionals in the field.

Benefit

Typical industries that benefit from the this technology in Sri Lanka include Power Generation, Aerospace, Chemical, Heavy Mechanical Fabrication, Automobiles, Oil and Gas, Ship Building, Foundries and Civil Engineering. Director Tennakoon said construction industry stands well to benefit from this facility given that the country is under the spell of a construction boom in the post 2009 era.

The future projects on oil exploration, construction of off-shore oil wells, overhead bridges and highways are expected to increase the potential uses of NDT technology in Sri Lanka.

The Centre will improve quality standards of the product, giving it recognition among the international brands, it will also minimise unexpected production stoppage, while minimising recurring repairs, Director Tennakoon said adding it will directly be involved in the production process of the country.

By next year school leavers with GCE Advanced Level science will be enrolled to follow courses in NDT at the Centre. "We are producing about 100 skilled NDT professionals a year at present, the target is to raise this up to 800," he said.

[Conventional NDT methods]

* Ultrasonic Testing

Ultrasonic inspection is a non-destructive testing method in which high frequency sound waves are introduced into the material being inspected and the sound emerging out of the test specimen is detected and analyzed.

This method has high sensitivity which permits detection of minute defects and has high penetrating power which allows examination of extremely thick sections.

*Radiographic Testing

The method of radiographic testing involves the use of a source of radiation from which the radiations hit the test specimen, pass through it and are detected by a suitable radiation detector placed on the side opposite to that of the source.

This method can be used to inspect large areas at one time and it can be used for checking internal malstructure, misassembly or misalignments.

*Eddy current testing

Eddy current testing is particularly well suited for detecting surface cracks but can also be used to make electrical conductivity and coating thickness measurements. Here a small surface probe is scanned over the part surface in an attempt to detect a crack.

*Liquid penetrant Testing (PT)

This is a method which can be employed for the detection of open-to-surface discontinuities in any industrial product which is made from a non-porous material.

*Magnetic Particle Testing

Magnetic particle testing is used for the testing of materials which can be easily magnetized. This method is capable of detecting open-to-surface and just below-the-surface flaws.