Issues with the qualification stamp for pressure vessels
Thread Content
In the EPC projects undertaken by our company, the pressure vessel equipment was designed by XXX design firm. At that time it happened to be the period for renewing their design qualification license, but the qualification seal was still within the limits permitted by the license, and it was this seal that was used on the drawings. Since our company arranges production plans based on the project schedule, the time when the drawings are provided to the equipment manufacturer falls outside the validity period of the drawing approval stamp. The boiler inspection authority in the location of the manufacturing unit stated that its design qualification seal is no longer valid, so the equipment cannot be shipped out. I’m not sure if what that boiler inspection agency says is correct; I couldn’t find any evidence to support it. Is there anyone out there who knows? Please advise me; I’d be very grateful! ! ! I believe that designs created within the validity period of the seal should be valid, and the time interval between the design and the actual manufacturing of the equipment is not long; moreover, there has been no change in standards during that period. I hope everyone here can help! ! Thank you!
Check the design signature date on the drawing; as long as this date is within the valid period, it’s fine.
The signing date falls within the valid period, so it is valid. Is there any evidence to support this? handshake
What more evidence is needed? The design, of course, depends on the deadline specified in the design documents; as long as the design qualification remains valid, it is effective. Delays caused by manufacturing issues are not related to the design itself
Actually, there is an issue related to the transition period. Logically, the boiler inspection agency should be aware of this problem; if that’s not possible, one can seek written documentation from the provincial technical supervision bureau. According to the regulations, if a company has special reasons, it can apply for an extension of one year for the expiration of the design certificate. This post was last edited by fengyue on 2009-2-25 at 19:53
Your question isn’t clear – is it that the seal on the drawings became invalid when you handed them over to the manufacturing factory? Does the seal expire after the product is manufactured? These two situations are different. The seal had expired before the product was manufactured, so the drawings are definitely not acceptable. By the time the product is manufactured, the seal has expired, but generally the inspectors from the boiler inspection agency will approve the drawings.
Reply to LZ: 1. The statement from the local boiler inspection agency is based on relevant regulations; the relevant basis is Annex 1 of the \"Rules for Supervisory Inspection of the Safety Performance of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Products\", specifically Section II of the \"Outline for Supervisory Inspection of the Safety Performance of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Products\" – Pressure Vessels, Subsection (3) Inspection Items and Methods, Item 1: Documentation related to the design, namely (1): \"Check the design qualification seal of the unit that designed the pressure vessel to confirm that its qualification is valid.\" ” 2. Under normal circumstances, the qualification seals indicated on the documents and materials provided with the pressure vessel at the time of shipment should be valid ； The basis is Article 63, Paragraph 1 of the Code: “The as-built drawings shall bear the qualification seal of the design unit (a photocopy seal is invalid).” ”Since this involves modifications during the manufacturing phase, material substitutions, and design changes, the design qualification at this stage should be valid. 3. The main reason for LZ’s situation is that the design agency failed to apply for a design license in advance in accordance with the relevant regulations. Personal opinion, for reference only! This post was last edited by clguan on 2009-2-25 23:51]
As long as the qualifications are valid at the time the contract is signed, that’s sufficient
There is a date of signature on the drawing, and that date is taken as the reference. If the qualification seal was still valid at the time of signing, then there is no problem; therefore, the situation described by the original poster should still be valid
The design documents are valid as long as the signature date on the design drawings is within the valid period.
Check the design signature date on the drawing; as long as this date is within the valid period, it’s fine.
I also think it’s effective. We have also encountered such issues; as long as the seal provided by the design firm is within the period permitted by the design regulations, the boiler inspection agency accepts it without any problems.
Check the signing date on the drawing; as long as this date is within the valid period, it’s fine. :)
Such things happen frequently in practice; sometimes, after the design drawings for a project are prepared, it isn’t possible to start construction on time for various reasons, and in some cases construction is delayed by several years. That’s when the situation you mentioned occurs. However, when the design institute prepares the drawings, its certification seal must be valid at that time.
Most of the above views are expressed primarily from a design perspective, but if we approach this issue from the standpoint of pressure vessel managers, we will arrive at different opinions. If a design firm designs pressure vessels while its qualification seal is still valid, but those vessels fail to be manufactured in a timely manner due to the manufacturing cycle or various other reasons – sometimes even after several years – and it happens that the firm’s qualification for designing pressure vessels expires during that period, I believe in such cases the qualification seal should also be deemed invalid. Since the design qualification of this design firm has expired, it means that the firm no longer meets the requirements to design pressure vessels (there are many reasons for this, and failing to renew the certification on time is just one possible reason). During the period after its qualification expired, it was not qualified to prepare the documents that require design approval, nor could it guarantee quality; therefore, overall, its design qualification seal should be deemed invalid once it expires.
:What about a handshake in the case of multiple sets of equipment? In fact, there are as many as 45 units produced in the same batch; naturally, this prolongs the production cycle. Does this count as well?
Every device must be registered. If it has been a long time since the design date, it may be necessary to first obtain updated credentials from the same design firm; otherwise, alternative solutions will have to be found.
Delivered to the manufacturing plant; the validity period has expired, so it should be deemed invalid. The inspection party has a Class A approval for the pattern; how do you tell them what date to use for the approval? There are designs that have been prepared but not put into practice for a long time; the stamps have expired and the designs are no longer valid. We have encountered similar cases!
One more thing: if the design approval stamp for the container’s drawings has expired before it leaves the factory, it will be impossible to apply the completion stamp, which can greatly complicate the procedures for inspecting the installation of such containers; it may even cause difficulties in the registration process for the entity that will use them!
The signing date on the design drawing must match the date stamped on the drawing. If the drawings are not used for manufacturing for an extended period of time, and if the local pressure vessel inspection agency requires it at that time, a new certificate confirming valid qualifications can be obtained from the original design firm.
As long as the date of signing on the drawings is within the valid period, it should be fine; after all, we can’t expect the owner to cover additional costs for redesigning them. It is recommended that the **General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issue clear regulations in this regard.