SF6 Gas Servicing Equipment

Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) is an excellent gaseous dielectric for high voltage power applications. It has been used extensively in high voltage circuit breakers and other switchgear employed by the power industry. Applications for SF6 include gas insulated transmission lines and gas insulated power distribution substations. The combined electrical, physical, chemical and thermal properties offer many advantages when used in power switchgear. Some of the outstanding properties of SF6 which make its use in power applications desirable are:

• high dielectric strength

• unique arc-quenching ability

• excellent thermal stability

• good thermal conductivity

 

However advantageous the above properties are, Sulfur Hexafluoride is considered to be a fully fluorinated compound (FFC). Since FFC’s have atmospheric lifetimes of up to 50,000 years, these potent greenhouse gases could contribute significantly and, essentially, permanently to global warming if emissions continue to grow. For example, lets compare the global warming potential of CO2 and SF6. CO2 has a global warming potential of 1, whereas SF6 has a global warming potential of 24,900!! Also, over the past year or so, the price of new SF6 gas has increased in price by as much as 600%!! Due to the above reasons, SF6 is used mostly in applications that allow reclamation as opposed to using it on equipment that requires release of the gas, only to be re-filled with virgin SF6. ENERVAC produces a complete line of SF6 recovery and test equipment, from full sized gas reclaimers down to small decomposition detectors