SF6 GAS

Description

What is SF6 Gas?

What is SF6 gas? SF6 gas – Sulfur hexafluoride – or pure Sulfur hexafluoride is a chemical gas, a colorless, odorless, and non-toxic gas, negatively charged, and an effective insulator.

The molecular structure of SF6 is a mixture of one sulfur atom (S) bonded to 6 fluorine atoms (F). At room temperature, SF6 gas does not chemically react with other substances and is chemically “inert.”

This SF6 gas was first discovered in the laboratory of Faculte de Pharmacie de Paris in 1900. In 1937, the Electric Power Company first used this gas as an insulating material.

Sulfur hexafluoride is 5 times heavier than air, so the risk of creating a global warming effect if it escapes into the Earth’s atmosphere is very high. Approximately 22,000 times that of CO2. Therefore, SF6 gas causes a greenhouse effect.

Simply put, if you release one kg of Sulfur hexafluoride, it is equivalent to 22 tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

And therefore, the European Commission issued EC Regulation No. 842/2006 requiring that Sulfur hexafluoride gas in high-voltage switchgear must be recovered.

The recovery of SF6 gas must be carried out by specialized, trained, and certified technicians. Minimizing the leakage of Sulfur hexafluoride gas into the atmosphere is very important in fulfilling the obligation to protect the natural environment.

Physical Properties of SF6 Gas – Outstanding Characteristics

The dielectric strength of Sulfur hexafluoride gas is 2 times that of air.
Sulfur hexafluoride gas is non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-corrosive.
SF6 gas is chemically stable and difficult to decompose.
The SF6 molecule is notable for its ability to extinguish electric arcs, which helps reduce wear and tear on equipment contacts as well as the number of required maintenance visits.
Has the ability to transfer heat very well. Helps dissipate heat and reduce equipment temperature during operation.

How to Distinguish Pure SF6 Gas?

With the outstanding advantages mentioned above, SF6 gas is currently an important gas with production and application in many different industries around the world.

The manufacturing industries and especially the domestic electricity sector are no exception.

However, all of the Sulfur hexafluoride gas used in Vietnam today is imported from third countries and redistributed by other facilities.

This means that Sulfur hexafluoride gas products will be very unstable, with both genuine and counterfeit products.

We will also encounter many difficulties when we want to buy 99.995% SF6 gas due to our specific usage needs. If we buy products that do not meet the specified parameters, it will cause quite serious consequences and financial losses for businesses.

Because SF6 gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, even if it is mixed with other gases with similar characteristics, it is very difficult to detect.

Therefore, we cannot identify SF6 with the naked eye or visual assessment. The accurate way to determine SF6 gas is to use SF6 gas composite testing equipment, SF6 purity analyzers, SF6 gas dew point meters, etc.

Customers can also request the SF6 gas supplier to provide documents proving the origin and inspection certificates to ensure the product they purchase is genuine.

History – Origin of Sulfur Hexafluoride

SF6 is the common name for Sulfur hexafluoride, with the chemical formula SF6. The properties of SF6 gas or Sulfur hexafluoride are characteristic.

What is the characteristic structure and property of SF6?

Around the mid-20th century after World War II, thanks to the properties of SF6 gas, it was widely used as a very good insulating material. The use of SF6 in electrical systems increased rapidly due to its benefits.

In 1948, Allied Chemical and Penn Salt were the first American companies to commercialize this gas product.

By the 1960s, the application of SF6 gas in electrical equipment for high-voltage circuit breakers became more widespread.

Due to rapidly increasing demand, factories in Europe and America began to produce SF6 gas in large quantities to meet usage needs.

In the early days, SF6 gas was only used for the main purpose of insulation in power plant systems.

But then people researched and experimented more with it, and its excellent arc-quenching properties were soon discovered.

From then on, this gas began to be used in circuit breakers and as an intermediate arc-quenching solution.

The first transformer insulated with SF6 gas was created in Paris in 1966. The medium-voltage SF6 circuit breaker was successfully invented for the first time in 1971.

And these are the main applications of Sulfur hexafluoride gas that are strongly developed at the present time.

The most important applications of Sulfur hexafluoride gas are researched and used most in the electric power industry.

In this industry, SF6 gas acts as a dielectric and has been an insulating material in recent years.

APPLICATIONS OF SF6 GAS IN LIFE

SF6 Gas Cylinder Application in the Electrical Industry

About 80% of the current SF6 volume is used in common applications such as insulating gas for substations or as an insulating medium for sf6 circuit breakers and switchgear.

Of this 80%, about 10% of Sulfur hexafluoride gas is used in medium-voltage switchgear.

Using **SF6 gas in circuit breakers**, high-voltage power transmission, electrical switchgear, substations.

Application in Medicine

A little-known application of SF6 is in the medical field, specifically in ophthalmic medicine.

Cataract surgery, eye disorders (genetic), or eye injuries… all require the special support of **SF6 gas**.

Especially in cases of patients with a fairly dangerous condition of retinal detachment. This is a condition in which the retina gradually separates from the outer layer of the human eye.

SF6 helps treat and prevent patients from losing partial or total vision. Doctors will remove the vitreous fluid in the eye and then fill it with gas bubbles to fix the retina.

SF6 gas can help fix the retina effectively and safely for 1 month, so SF6 gas is a widely used solution.

**SF6 gas is used in the treatment of retinal detachment in the eye.**

Retinal detachment is a condition in which the retina is separated from the outer layers of the eye.
Vitrectomies – a procedure to remove vitreous fluid applied in complex retinal detachment cases.
Vitrectomy removes the vitreous fluid (the jelly-like substance in the eye cavity) and fills the eye with gas bubbles to fix the retina for a period until it heals.
The duration of the gas bubble depends on which gas is injected into the eye. The most common gases are SF6 gas and C3F8 gas.
SF6 gas remains in the eye for about a month, while C3F8 gas only lasts about 1 week. Most surgeries use SF6 gas. C3F8 is only used in some complex surgeries with small incisions.

Entertainment Application

The remaining 20% of Sulfur hexafluoride gas is applied in other industries. SF6 is applied in entertainment, specifically used in water magic tricks that few people know about. Specifically, magicians will use a water tank made of glass. The tank will contain a type of “invisible water,” so when the audience looks at it, it appears empty. In addition, the speed of sound propagation in the SF6 environment is slow, so it is applied in voice alteration.