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VISION 

An Internationally Renowned Laboratory and Center of Excellence in R&D for Electrical Industry. 

MISSION 

To Achieve Excellence by virtue of Competence through R&D, Testing, Calibration, Training and Information Dissemination to Improve Quality and reduce Cost of Equipment, Materials and Services for Electrical Industries, Utilities and Users of Electricity. 

ORGANISATION 

Electrical Research and Development Association (ERDA) is a cooperative research institution created by the Indian Electrical Industry and Utilities with the support of Governments of India and Gujarat.  National in character, ERDA has established its laboratory facilities at Makarpura Industrial Estate, Vadodara.  The Laboratories stand in a sprawling area of 25 acres of land donated by the Government of Gujarat.  ERDA is a not-for-profit sector cooperative organization. 

ACCREDITATIONS & RECOGNITIONS 

ERDA is Accredited / Recognized by organizations as under: 

·         National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) Govt. of India.
·         Accreditated laboratory under IECEE-CB Scheme of International Electrotechnical Commission for some Switchgear products  and    Cables (PVC & Rubber).
·         Dept. of Atomic Energy (DAE), Govt. of India for LOCA Qualification of Electrical Equipment
·         Dept. of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India.
·         Dept. of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Govt. of India.
·         Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
·         Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) for Certification testing of Contactors, Pilot Lamps and Pilot Switches.
·         Commissioner of Electricity, Govt. of Gujarat for Household Electrical Appliances.
·         Chief Inspectorate of Steam Boilers and Smoke Nuisances, Govt. of Gujarat. ·         Charity Commissioner, Govt. of Maharashtra.
·         Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
·         Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), New Delhi
·         Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA)
·         Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA)
·         Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA)
·         Energy Management Centre (EMC), Kerala
·         Directorate General - Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute (DG - FASLI), Mumbai for increased safety motors.
·         Canadian Standards Association for LT Switchgear & Capacitors.
·         Department of Explosives, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. India for testing increased safety motors as per IS 6381
·         Central Boilers Board as “Well Known Remnant Life Assessment Organization”, under Indian Boiler Act, 1950.

Diagnostic testing of 200 MVA Transformer in a 400 kV Switchyard

CONDITION MONITORING (CM) & RESIDUAL LIFE ASSESSMENT (RLA)  OF INDUSTRIAL PLANTS

The crucial concern of power/process plant managements, the world over, is the cost of reliable operation of plants.  Setting up of new plants is prohibitively expensive due to stringent environmental and safety concerns, uncertainties of financial return and extended lead times for new plants. The factors cited above have driven the managements to undertake technical assessment of their plant and equipment to prolong their operation.  Operation of plants and equipment till the end of their useful, rather than design life, is the ‘Mantra’ being adopted. 

Condition Monitoring and Residual Life Assessment are the modern scientific tools which provide accurate condition of Power / Process plant equipment and components.   

On-line condition monitoring of lightning arrester

Transformer Assembly Inspection

POWER / PROCESS PLANT AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT TO BE MONITORED 

The major equipment that need to be monitored on continuous basis in a power / process plant are Generator, Turbine and its auxiliaries, Boiler and its auxiliaries, Transformers, Switchgear, Pumps, Fans, Cables, Motors,  Lightning Arresters etc.

EXPERTISE, FACILITIES & TECHNIQUES 

ERDA’s expertise in this important activity centers around its qualified and experienced technical and scientific manpower and laboratory facilities such as Materials Testing, High Voltage and Low Voltage Electrical Equipment Testing, Energy Management, Power Electronics etc.  The major techniques employed include In-situ Metallography (Replica Test), In-situ Hardness, Fibroscopy, Boroscopy, NDT (including UT, MPT & DPT), Steam Side Oxide Scale Measurements, Videoscopy; In-situ Chemical Analysis, Thermography, Eddy Current Testing, Vibration –, Noise - & Sound -  Intensity Analyses/ Measurements, SPM Analysis Thermography, Partial Discharge Measurement on Transformers and CTs by Acoustic Emission Method, C & Tan Delta Measurement using C & Tan Delta Bridge, Partial Discharge Measurement on Rotating Machines by PD Detector, Frequency Response Analysis for Transformers, etc.  

ERDA has been recognized by the Central Boilers Board as “Well Known Remnant Life Assessment Organization” under Indian Boiler Act, 1950.  The recognition authorizes ERDA to undertake independent NDT & RLA of Industrial boilers, all over the country.

OUR CLIENTS

ERDA is providing Condition Monitoring and Residual Life Assessment services to State Electricity Boards, Private Sector Utilities, NTPC, Process Industries as well as various OEMs.  

FAILURE ANALYSIS 

Failure analysis is an interdisciplinary activity involving specialists drawn from the electrical. mechanical and  materials science disciplines.  ERDA has developed extensive expertise in conducting failure analysis of equipment / components of power and petrochemical plants, the metal processing industry as well as heavy and light equipment manufacturing industry, in general.    

In-situ Metallography of  Main Steam Pipe

TOOLS & TECHNIQUES 

The evaluation tools deployed for failure analysis are, Fractography, Metallography, Chemical Analysis, Corrosion / Erosion Product Analysis, Mechanical Testing, In-situ Metallography, Non-Destructive Testing, FEM, Stress Analysis, etc.

MAJOR JOBS COMPLETED 

A typical listing of components / equipment on which failure analysis has been conducted by ERDA includes the following: 

·         Boiler tubes
·         Turbine blades
·         Gears
·         Shafts of rotating and reciprocating machinery
·         Conductors & transmission hardware
·        Insulators
·        Transformers
·        Cable / cable joints

ENERGY CONSERVATION / AUDIT 

Electrical and Thermal Energy Conservation assumes great importance in the context of depleting fossil fuel energy resources, growing Industrial, Agricultural and Domestic demands, losses in Transmission and Distribution Systems and huge financial investments and time factor in building generating facilities.  It is estimated that upto 30% of Energy Consumed in productive sectors such as Industry, Agriculture, Power, Transportation etc., can be saved by adopting better equipment maintenance, operational practices and adoption of new energy efficient technologies with very little investments. 

CAPABILITIES 

With the above background, ERDA set up the Energy Management Section and started providing Energy Audit Services in the Electrical and Thermal areas.  Our services have been availed by a large number of Industries in sectors such as power generation (Thermal, Hydro and Nuclear Plants), Iron & Steel, Fertilizers, Chemicals, Petrochemicals, Food Processing Industries etc. Besides these, Municipal Corporations and large Hospitals are also availing our services.  ERDA has completed over two hundred thirty Energy Audit assignments to date and the savings in Energy Costs experienced by our clients are of considerable value. ERDA’s strength lies in its multidisciplinary nature, as we have specialists and facilities to meet the clients needs. 

AWARDS 

ERDA has won ‘Best Improvement in Performance’ and ‘Best Energy Auditor’ Awards of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) continuously in a row for three years.  ERDA has also won awards from Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) for two consecutive years.

OUR CLIENTS 

State Electricity Boards and Utilities, Process Plants, Manufacturing Industries, Municipal Corporations, Hospitals, Large Sports Complexes, etc.  

Main Steam Pipe Failure of Process Plant

POWER SYSTEM STUDIES 

The power system operations have already become complex due to many factors and expansion and interconnection of individual systems to improve the reliability has increased this complexity.  The operation of the network economically without jeoparding security is the FOCUS of system operating Engineers.  Availability of a large number of computer softwares can assist power Engineers in handling the complexities of the power systems. 

CAPABILITIES IN POWER SYSTEM AREA

ERDA has capabilities for solving the problem of Power System utilising Sophisticated Computer Softwares in the areas of Load Flow, System, Stability, Small Signal Stability, Short Circuit Studies, Relay Coordination, Over Voltage Studies, Line and Cable Parameter Calculations, Voltage Instability, Harmonic Content Analysis etc.   

OUR CLIENTS

State Electricity Boards and other Utilities, Regulatory Agencies and Foreign Clients like M/s. Dhofar Power Co., Sultanate of Oman.   

Field Measurements for Accuracy Check of Energy Meters

TESTING & EVALUATION OF ELECTRICAL MATERIALS & PRODUCTS 

ERDA laboratories are fully equipped with sophisticated testing instruments and qualified and trained personnel to provide a wide range of testing and Evaluation Services as per National, International, Institutional and Clients specifications.  These services are available for developmental -, type - and certification - testing of materials and products. 

MATERIALS / PRODUCTS 

Insulating Materials, Conducting & Contact Materials, Magnetic Materials, Structural Materials, Composites, Ceramics, Coatings, Elastomers, Polymeric Materials and T&D Hardware. Electrical Products like HT/LT Capacitors, LT/HT Cables, Domestic Electrical Appliances and Wiring Installation, Lamps & Luminaires, Rotating Electrical Machines, Pumps, Switchgear and Controlgear Products, Transformers, CTs, PTs, Reactors, Energy Meters, Diesel Engines, etc.  

MAJOR FACILITIES  

The major test facilities, apart from other routine testing facilities, available at ERDA are: 

·         On-line Short circuit test facility for switchgears and Distribution Transformers
·         High Voltage Impulse Testing facility
·         40 ton IP (Ingress Protection) testing
·         EMI/EMC Testing
·         LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident) Qualification Testing
·         Seismic, Vibration & Shock Testing
·         RIV corona measurement upto 600 kV
·         Calibration of EHV measuring system at site