SF6 Gas Purification

Sulpher Hexafluoride (SF-6) gas is very widely used in High Voltage Circuit Breakers of both puffer &
GIS types due to its excellent insulation, dielectric, electronegativity & arc quenching properties. At
pressures between 4 to 7 Kg/cm
2
the dielectric strength of SF-6 gas is 2 times that of oil & 4 times that
of air. This permits smaller clearances with the result design & construction of equipments can be of
reduced size and weight for the same KV ratings.
The presence of moisture content, in traces exceeding the permissible limits, can however drastically
reduce the effectiveness of these properties and there is an increased possibility of arcing & internal
flashovers due to condensation and tracking which in turn severely affects performance reliability of
circuit breakers. Additionally, the excessive moisture in the SF-6 gas & enclosed equipment also
accelerates the formation of compounds such as SF5, S5F10 and Hydrofluoric acid (HF) as a result of
reactions between SF-6 arc by-products such as SF2, SF4, S2 F2, SOF4, SO2, SO2F2, SOF2 & water,
and these compounds being highly corrosive, toxic, and aggressive, degradation of insulation, insulating
surfaces as well as erosion & rusting of metal surfaces result due to aging mechanism and all this in the
end can lead to either SF-6 gas leakages and/or mechanical & electrical failures.Periodic Moisture
measurement and control therefore constitute a major part of any effective maintenance programme
for SF-6 gas circuit breaker & gas insulated equipments. The moisture particularly in liquid phase is
very detrimental to the dielectric withstand strength of gas insulated equipments & therefore moisture
has to be maintained at a level such that it does not condense in to liquid for the entire range of
expected operating temperatures.




The molecular weight of SF-6 is 146. The molecular weight of water vapour is 18.Therefore a given
volume of SF-6 weights 146/18 i.e. 8.1 times the same volume of water vapour. Therefore conversion
factor for PPMV to PPMW is 8.1. For example