【Safety Management and Standardization of Special Equipment】Is a breathing valve a safety accessory? Is mandatory inspection required once a year?

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Ensure proper safety management of special equipment; standardization ensures safety. [Special Equipment Safety Management and Standardization] – Comprehensive summary post! Constantly being updated – feel free to communicate! ! ! https://bbs.hcbbs.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=5718553 (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum (Hua Haichuan Liu hcbbs)). Everyone is welcome to participate in the discussions.--------------------------------------------------------- A breathing valve is considered a “safety accessory,” but it is not included in the list of statutory safety accessories specified in the **“Catalogue of Special Equipment.”** The statutory “Catalogue of Special Equipment” (2014 version) lists only four types of safety accessories: safety valves, burst disc devices, emergency shut-off valves, and gas cylinder valves. Breathing valves are not among them; therefore, they are not regarded as statutory safety accessories for special equipment. Yet, since they serve as safety protection devices for atmospheric pressure storage tanks, they can still be considered “safety accessories,” just not those related to special equipment. According to AQ 3063-2025 \"Safety Management Specifications for Atmospheric Storage Tanks of Flammable Liquids in Chemical Enterprises\", clause 9.4.6 states that the inspection of other safety facilities for atmospheric storage tanks holding flammable liquids shall meet the following requirements: a) Safety accessories such as the vent valves and flame arresters of the storage tanks should be regularly inspected; tanks storing materials that are prone to freezing, caking, or forming polymers should be inspected at least once a month ； b) The breather valves and pressure relief manholes of storage tanks should be regularly inspected for visual issues such as corrosion, blockages by foreign objects, or adhesions, as well as for their operational functionality; such inspections should be carried out at least once a year ； c) The opening pressure and leakage rate of the storage tank’s vent valve should be regularly verified offline; the verification interval should be determined in conjunction with the regular inspections of the storage tank, and shall not exceed 5 years at most ； Those that cannot be verified offline should be verified online. It says to check it once a year; it’s not an annual inspection but rather a yearly check. Can inspection and testing be the same thing? GB/T 37327-2019 \"Integrity Management of Atmospheric Storage Tanks\". 8.6.1 Breather valves for atmospheric pressure storage tanks shall be inspected at least once a year. 8.6.2 Before inspection, the following documents should be reviewed: a) the product model of the breathing valve, operating pressure rating ； b) Manufacturing date, product certificate of conformity, installation date, completion acceptance documents ； c) Online inspection records during the operation cycle ； d) Previous regular inspection reports. 8.6.3 Before the inspection, the inspection items and acceptance criteria shall be clarified and approved by the user unit, which shall then carry out the necessary preparatory work as required. 8.6.4 The inspection items for the breathing valve include visual inspection, opening pressure test, air flow rate test, and leakage test. 8.6.5 The breathing valve shall show no abnormal rust, leakage, or blockage by debris. 8.6.6 The opening pressure, air volume, and leakage rate of the breathing valve shall meet the design requirements. This standard requires an inspection to be carried out once a year, along with detailed inspection procedures and the criteria for passing such inspections. So, strictly speaking, it needs to be inspected once a year.