Items to be checked for instruments prior to trial production
Thread Content
I work in a fine chemicals company in Inner Mongolia, and we are currently preparing an application for pilot production. The pressure gauges and safety valves on site have already been inspected. The Safety and Environment Department requires that pressure transmitters, flow meters, and thermometers (thermal resistors, integrated temperature transmitters) also be inspected. I would like to ask if these instruments are required to undergo mandatory inspections according to the regulations?
I consulted experts around me, and it turns out that for trial production in Inner Mongolia, all pressure and temperature instruments (including those on-site and transmitters) need to be calibrated; flow meters, on the other hand, seem not to require calibration. Mandatory inspection instruments must be calibrated! !
This is part of the various documents related to trial production; it requires that all instruments have calibration records. This task should be carried out by the construction party – one set of records deals with circuit calibration, while another set relates to instrument verification. Although such verification is not mandatory, it still needs to be done internally. In today’s factories, there are not many managers at all levels who pay attention to instrument-related matters, yet they still claim to want to establish smart factories or even pursue Industry 4.0. Calibration requires many tools as well as a suitable location, such as a calibration room that is similar to a laboratory, filled with various instruments – things like temperature calibrators, standard gauges, and ice-water baths; these are not inexpensive. There are also pressure calibrators, available in various types: hydraulic, pneumatic, and manual. A real pressure source and standard gauge are necessary. As for liquid level measurement, the calibration records provided by the manufacturer should suffice. The same goes for flow meters
I have seen companies equipped with a bunch of testing instruments, but it seems that many of the personnel in charge of these instruments don’t even bother to carry out calibration tasks. In fact, I think they may not even have the necessary qualifications for such work; some kind of certification related to quality control is probably required. Records are kept internally, but I’m not sure whether experts recognize them as valid.
The list of items subject to mandatory inspection is just a name; you can search for it
For internal calibration, some companies that place importance on measuring instruments apply to the Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau to establish relevant standards. Once these standards are established, the bureau issues corresponding certificates granting the company the authority to carry out calibrations. However, this is generally only possible for state-owned enterprises; it is difficult for private companies, as they are reluctant to spend money on such procedures as well as to invest in building relationships to achieve this. In fact, what’s most important are the qualification certificates. Even in some companies that possess such certificates, the competence of the inspectors may not be very high. It’s similar to certificates in China: just because someone has a certificate doesn’t mean they have the necessary skills, but without a certificate, one is considered non-compliant.
That’s right; when it comes to flowmeters, establishing a device for calibrating them using the static volume method or the static mass method incurs costs. Additionally, there is the question of how many people are willing to take the flowmeter apart during the calibration period