UditVani, Jamshedpur: The CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) today inaugurated the two-day national symposium on Remaining Life Assessment of Engineering Components (RLA-2026), bringing together leading scientists, industry experts, academicians, and policymakers from across India.
The symposium has drawn around 150 delegates from premier organisations including ONGC, Tata Steel, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, IIT Kharagpur, CSIR-CMERI, and Mahindra Defence Systems, among others.
The inaugural session was graced by G. Satheesh Reddy, Member of the National Security Advisory Board and former Chairman of DRDO, as the Chief Guest. The session was presided over by NML Director Sandip Ghosh Chowdhury, along with symposium chairman Jitendra Kumar Sahu and convener Sumanta Bagui.
Welcoming the delegates, Dr. Chowdhury highlighted that nearly 60–70 per cent of industrial structural components in sectors such as petrochemicals, thermal power, and mining are currently operating beyond their designed lifespan.
He underscored the critical role of Remaining Life Assessment (RLA) in ensuring the safe and continued operation of such ageing infrastructure without risking catastrophic failure.
Dr. Sahu provided an overview of the symposium, emphasizing NML’s pioneering contributions to RLA in sectors like thermal power, aerospace, and oil and gas, particularly in assessing structural integrity and extending service life of critical components.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Reddy described RLA as a strategic discipline vital for India’s industrial ecosystem.
He stressed its importance in ensuring the safety and reliability of key assets such as boilers, turbines, and pressure systems.
He also highlighted emerging applications in the defence sector, including missiles and aircraft, where extending operational life without compromising safety is crucial.
Dr. Reddy further pointed to the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in enhancing predictive accuracy in life assessment models, while emphasizing the need for high-quality service data.
He also called for expanding RLA applications to electronic components, which are increasingly integral to modern engineering systems.
The symposium will feature technical sessions on creep and stress rupture-based life assessment, microstructure and data-driven modelling, advanced sensors and non-destructive testing tools, and recent advancements in RLA methodologies.
With participation from power, oil and gas, petrochemicals, aerospace, steel, and manufacturing sectors, the event is expected to strengthen collaboration between academia, research institutions, and industry. Organisers noted that such initiatives are crucial for improving industrial efficiency and ensuring the safe life extension of ageing assets in India.
The inaugural session concluded with a formal vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Bagui.
