Blind flange in the equipment area
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In everyone’s equipment area, where are the blind plates or covers that require blind plate tags? Should everything be included, or are there any guidelines? We require all of them to be added
1. Where utility systems and process pipelines or equipment intersect and there is a potential risk of cross-contamination, use blind flanges for isolation； 2. Requirements of the quality management system for isolation. 3. Isolate process pipelines or equipment that are not in use for extended periods. 4. At the discharge points and sampling points of equipment and pipelines handling flammable, explosive, or toxic substances, measures such as the use of blind flanges, thread plugs, pipe caps, and double valves should be employed to reduce the risk of leaks. For reference: **Guiding Opinions of the State Administration of Work Safety on Strengthening Leak Management in Chemical Enterprises** (An Jian Zong Guan San [2014] No. 94) ； \"Code for Design of Layout of Metal Piping in Petrochemical Industries\" (SH/T 3012-2011)
In principle, a blind plate tag should be attached to any movable energy isolation device such as a blind plate or blind end
Installing blind plate tags and keeping records is done merely to facilitate management and provide a record of what has been done. Some blind plates are part of the design, while others are installed by the equipment itself based on its specific requirements. The use of blind plate tags serves to ease management and ensure that the records match the actual situation
It is also intended to facilitate better judgment during on-site operations. For example, it is easy to determine the blocked and unblocked positions of 8-character blind flanges. However, with some temporary blind flanges, it is difficult to determine such positions due to the thickness of the blind flange and the degree of flange corrosion. After removing or installing a blind flange, it is necessary to hang a label on it and keep a record in order to reduce the risks and accidents that may arise during subsequent operations
Blind plate inspection during startup and shutdown is a critical procedure