【Y2025】Is it necessary to conduct mandatory calibration of the air source pressure gauge on the valve?

The following responses do not contain any information from the attached text and are provided for reference only: Pressure gauge calibration procedure: 1. Before calibrating the pressure gauge, its reading must be set to zero; if this cannot be done, the gauge needs to be adjusted. 2. After returning to zero, slowly increase the pressure to the calibration point, then read the value displayed on the pressure gauge and record it. 3. When calibrating, choosing 3-5 points is sufficient; generally, it is necessary to measure the upper limit value. 4. Gradually increase the pressure to the upper limit indicated by the pressure gauge, then cut off the pressure source and hold for 3 minutes, before slowly reducing the pressure back to zero. 5. Then compare the error value of the indicated value; if it is within the allowable range, then the pressure gauge is qualified.

Measurement Law of the People’s Republic of China (amended in 2018): Article 9 The measurement administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall enforce mandatory inspection on social public measurement standard instruments, the highest-level measurement standard instruments used by departments, enterprises, and institutions, as well as working measurement instruments listed in the mandatory inspection catalog that are used for trade settlement, safety protection, medical and health care, and environmental monitoring. It shall not be used if it has not been submitted for inspection as required or has failed the inspection. The catalog and management measures for working measuring instruments subject to mandatory verification shall be formulated by the State Council.

Law on the Safety of Special Equipment (promulgated in 2013): Article 83 If a unit using special equipment commits one of the following acts in violation of the provisions of this Law, it shall be ordered to make corrections within a specified time limit； If the violation is not corrected within the prescribed time, the use of the relevant special equipment shall be ordered to be stopped, and a fine of not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 100,000 yuan shall be imposed: (3) Failing to carry out regular maintenance and periodic self-inspections on the special equipment in use, or failing to conduct regular calibration and maintenance of the safety accessories and safety protection devices of such equipment, while also failing to keep records thereof ；

In accordance with the provisions of these two main regulations, the safety accessories of special equipment must be regularly calibrated (mainly for boilers). The list of measuring instruments that are subject to mandatory inspection and the relevant management procedures are established by the State Council. So let’s take a look at what the State Council has stipulated in this regard.

On October 26, 2020, the **State Administration for Market Regulation issued Document No. 42, titled \"Announcement on Adjustments by the State Administration for Market Regulation.\" Item 16 of the annex specifies the methods and scope for mandatory inspection of pressure instruments:

Type approval refers to the requirement that pressure instruments manufactured using new technologies, new materials, and new manufacturing processes must undergo evaluation by a **type inspection agency; only after passing such evaluation can they be approved for use. There are two ways of mandatory inspection: one is periodic inspection, which involves re-inspection at regular intervals, and the other is a single initial mandatory inspection, after which the item can be used for a specified period only; it must then be discarded and replaced once that period has expired.

Document No. 42 mentioned above only provides a brief overview of the regulatory and calibration methods for pressure instruments, as well as the general scope of devices that are subject to mandatory inspection. However, many detailed issues are not addressed, such as the frequency of calibration and how the calibration of pressure instruments for special equipment is carried out. We will set these aside for now and continue with the discussion.

Document No. 42 merely provides a list of instruments subject to mandatory inspection; the specific management procedures are implemented in accordance with the \"Administrative Measures for the Inspection of Working Measuring Instruments Subject to Mandatory Inspection in the People’s Republic of China\".

\"Regulations on the Inspection and Management of Working Measuring Instruments Subject to Mandatory Inspection in the People’s Republic of China\": \"Article 5: Units or individuals that use working measuring instruments subject to mandatory inspection must register such instruments in accordance with the regulations, file the registration records with the local county (city)-level people’s government’s metrology administration department, and apply to the designated metrology inspection institution for periodic inspections.\" If calibration cannot be carried out locally, an application should be submitted to the calibration institution designated by the metrology administrative department of the higher-level people’s government for periodic calibration.

Article 8 The metrology administrative departments of the State Council and those of the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall establish inspection deadlines for various work measuring instruments subject to mandatory inspection. The agency responsible for conducting mandatory inspections shall complete the inspections on time within the specified period.