Quality is important in any field of human endeavour, more so in a critical, high-tech area such as generation of nuclear power where the costs of failure are extremely high, not only in material terms but also from the societal angle. The demands thus made on the Quality Assurance (QA) programs in DAE in general and NFC in particular, are on an altogether different level compared to those in other industries. NFC is unique in its integrated approach to the manufacture of a variety of finished products from ore to core through employing enormous amount of Inspection, QA and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) on an industrial scale. Because of these demands, NDE in NFC has, through years of experience, attained a high level of maturity. The high standards of the products manufactured at NFC are highlighted by their excellent real time performance. NFC is striving to achieve Six Sigma strategy as a part of continual improvement in its operations, products and services through technological excellence and well structured QA program.
The exacting performance required by the nuclear fuel and hardware in the Power Reactor demands fulfilling stringent quality requirements of each product specifications.
NFC adopts well-structured quality assurance program. The goal is realized by employing a set of sophisticated equipment and techniques with qualified manpower. The State-of-Art NDE facilities, Centralized Analytical Quality Control Laboratory, Metallurgical & Mechanical testing and Advanced Material Characterization Laboratory carry out the testing, analysis and measurement in order to ensure process control and product compliance to specifications. Periodic reviews and brain storming are conducted to improve recoveries.
The sophisticated non-destructive evaluation facilities developed and techniques were established which includes ultrasonic test, eddy current test, X-ray radiography, dye-penetrate test, mass spectrometric leak detection and automated machine vision systems. Precision dimensional measurement systems and automatic physical measurements facilities caters the in-house needs for measurement and qualification of products. An array of analytical techniques like Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry, Mass Spectrometry, Gas and Ion Chromatography, Laser Photometry are employed for analysis of raw materials, intermediates and final products.
A number of online measurement and control equipments have been introduced all along the processes and production lines. The Advanced Material Characterization Lab is equipped with several sophisticated characterization instruments viz. TEM, SEM-EBSD, XRD, Dilatometer, X-ray residual stress analyzer for studying metallurgical characteristics like microstructure, texture, dislocation density, re-crystallization behavior, crystallography, nano-feature characterization, residual stress analysis etc. These facilities help in developing variety of products and advanced alloys.
The emergence of several Quality Circles bears a testimony to the fact that each and every employee working in their area is concerned and dedicated towards improving quality. Every year the month of November is observed as Quality Month. As part of Quality Month Celebration, several lectures by eminent speakers and competitions like quiz, slogan and essay writing are conducted to create Quality Awareness among the employees.
NFC has over the past four decades earned a justifiable pride of place in DAE as a reputed, reliable, quality conscious supplier of critical inputs to the nuclear power program in India.
