SF6 INFO

General CHCRC.V3 1.98 A-III-2

Basic Statements on SF6: Atmosphere

1. SF6 does not contribute to the "ozone hole".
2. Although SF6 is a greenhouse gas it is only used in such small quantity that its contribution to global
warming remains negligible.
3. The use of SF6 in electric power equipment is contained. Only a small fraction of it needs to be
released by handling and leakage.
4. The SF6 in electric power equipment is recyclable. Most of the gas can be reused on-site. Only a
small fraction of it is strongly contaminated and has to undergo additional processing to become
reusable. For details contact the equipment manufacturer.
5. SF6 can be removed from the ecocycle, if necessary, by a thermal process which retransforms it into
the natural substances fluorspar and gypsum.
6. At present, only about one third of the SF6 produced worldwide is used by the manufacturers of
electrical power equipment. Most of this gas is filled into newly installed equipment.
7. SF6 leakage rates from operating equipment can be kept below 0.2 %/year with present technology.
Leakage can therefore be kept so low that also the future contribution of "electrical" SF6 to the
greenhouse effect remains negligible.
8. The total environmental impact of power equipment can be assessed by environmental lifecycle
analysis (LCA) according to ISO 14000. It shows that the use of SF6 allows to minimize the integral
environmental load of equipment. This is because the savings of other materials and their associated
environmental load quantitatively overcompensates the impact caused by SF6 losses.

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SF6 INFO
General CHCRC.V3 1.98 A-III-2

SF6 properties: Summary

SF6 is being successfully used since 30 years
for arc interruption and insulation in HV
transmission and MV distribution equipment for
its unique combination of properties:
• high dielectric strength (RRRV 2.5 x air)
• high arc interruption capability (10 x air)
• high heat transfer characteristics (2 x air)
• non-toxic / biologically inert
• chemically stable / non-corrosive
• easy to handle

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SF6 INFO
General CHCRC.V3 1.98 A-III-2

Greenhouse effect
60 - 70 % 20 - 30 % < 0.1 %
CO2, O3
CH4, N2O CFC SF6

EARTH

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SF6 INFO
General CHCRC.V3 1.98 A-III-2

SF6 and the greenhouse effect

SF6 is a strong greenhouse gas (per molecule)
but it is released in very small quantity
hence it is environmentally irrelevant from a
quantitative point of view, at present
however it has a long atmospheric lifetime
(3200 y) and can therefore
accumulate in the long term future
therefore its emission should be minimized by
systematic recycling

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SF6 INFO
General CHCRC.V3 1.98 A-III-2

SF6 and the greenhouse effect

IPCC 1994: GWP rel.GW contrib.

CO2 1 60 %

CFCs 5 000 12 %

SF6 25 000 0.07 %

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SF6 INFO
General CHCRC.V3 1.98 A-III-2

IPCC 1994
LifetimeGWPatmospheric greenhouse
(yr)(100 y)concentrationcontribution
[pptv] [%]

CO2 1001 360 . 10660

CH4 1525 2 . 10628

N20 120320 0.3 . 106

CFCl3 50±54000 250

CF2Cl2 1028500 300
CCl2F2 64011700 40012
CF4 500006300 80
C2F6 1000012500 40
......
SF6 320024900 3.50.07

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SF6 INFO
General CHCRC.V3 1.98 A-III-2

SF6 and stratospheric ozone destruction

Stratospheric ozone O3 is catalytically destroyed by chlorine Cl
from chlorinated fluor carbons (CFC):

CFC + UV radiation form Cl

O3 + Cl O2 + ClO

catalytic cycle

O + Cl ClO

Result: O3  O2 + O

No such process exists with fluorine F which is scavenged as HF

SF6 DOES NOT DESTROY THE OZONE LAYER

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SF66 INFO
General CHCRC.V3 1.98
CHCRC.V3 1.98
A-III-2
C-V-4

LCA Results for SF6 EquipmentE ENVIRONMNTAL ASPECTS

1 Environmental impact has to be evaluated for a

function, not for individual materials
2 Environmental impact caused by using SF6 is
overcompensated by reducing impact of other
materials, energy losses, land etc.
3 SF6 impact will be further reduced by improved gas
handling / recycling

4 SF6 substitution options can only be judged by LCA of

complete equipment

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