Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) Market Size by 2023 and Forecast by 2031 (2023)

FAQs

Is sulfur hexafluoride increasing or decreasing? ›

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is the most potent greenhouse gas (GHG), and its atmospheric abundance, albeit small, has been increasing rapidly.

Concorde is the leading global supplier of SF6 Gas (Sulfur Hexafluoride gas), rare specialty gases, and custom blends. We also supply many other rare and specialty gases for industrial, commercial, and consumer applications.

What is SF6 greenhouse gas? SF₆ is a synthetic, odourless gas that's used in the electricity industry to keep networks running safely and reliably. It's highly stable, non-toxic, non-flammable and electronegative, which means it will not form other compounds that will alter its state and effectiveness.

Guaranteed shelf life is 5 years from the date of manufacture.

Protect the Environment - SF₆ is the most potent greenhouse gas known. It is 23,500 times more effective at trapping infrared radiation than an equivalent amount of CO₂ and stays in the atmosphere for 3,200 years.

Although SF₆ contributes only around 0.8% of CO₂-equivalent modeled global warming, its potency and atmospheric lifetime persistence of 3,200 years necessitates action.

g³ is a fully type-tested gas mixture that provides the same technical performance as SF₆, while reducing the environmental impact.

The alternative C5 fluoroketone/air gas mixture combines good electrical features with a reduction in the global warming potential by almost 100 percent compared with SF6.

Fluorinated Alternative Gas Breakers

Some alternative CO2 and O2 gas mixtures have a small amount of a fluoroketone or fluoronitrile gas to bolster the dielectric and current switching properties and deliver the same performance as traditional SF6 gas (Table 1), including at high voltages.

Some of the disadvantages of SF₆ gas are its high cost, its tendency to form corrosive metal fluorides during arcing and the fact that it is a greenhouse gas.

Why are scientists concerned about SF6? ›

Among them is sulfur hexafluoride, or SF6, a colorless, odorless gas used as an insulator in power substations. Though its prevalence in the atmosphere is small, it has the potential to make an outsized impact. That's because it is the most potent GHG, with 23,500 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

SF6 is described as having the largest known global warming potential among greenhouse gases such as CO2 that can last in the atmosphere a 100 years or more.

Sulfur Hexafluoride is a colorless, odorless gas. It is used in electrical circuit interrupters, electric piping, and as a gaseous insulator. * Sulfur Hexafluoride is on the Hazardous Substance List because it is regulated by OSHA and cited by ACGIH, DOT and NIOSH.

The SF6 gas can thus be destroyed with a removal efficiency greater than 99% when the thermal process operates at 1,200°C.

Sulfur hexafluoride is inert in the troposphere and stratosphere and is extremely long-lived, with an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 800–3,200 years.

These greenhouse gases mainly include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases.

This is how much a gas called SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride) is stronger than CO₂ in terms of global warming potential. You read right: SF6 is the most potent greenhouse gas in existence with a global warming potential of 23,900 times the baseline of CO₂.

Indeed, carbon dioxide, a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion, is the principal greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. However, other greenhouse gases including methane, nitrous oxide, and a number of industrial-process gases also are important contributors to climate change.

Global Warming Potential (100-year): 1

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. In 2021, CO₂ accounted for 79% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.

CO2 accounts for about 76 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Methane, primarily from agriculture, contributes 16 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and nitrous oxide, mostly from industry and agriculture, contributes 6 percent to global emissions.

Is SF6 expensive? ›

Sulfur Hexafluoride is very expensive compared to most gases that are commercially available. We have not been able to get a clear answer about why it is so expensive, but one possible explanation is that not very much SF6 is produced each year when you compare it to other more common industrial gases.

It should be noted that SF6 is not an ozone depleting gas. SF6 occurs naturally in trace quantities in sulphur- and uranium-bearing rocks, but the SF6 used commercially is man-made. It is a very stable, chemically inert, non-toxic, non-flammable gas which is about five times heavier than air.

According to information listed in the Hazardous Substances Databank (HSDB), gaseous SF6 byproducts such as SF4, SiF4, SO2F2, SO2, and HF are extremely irritating to the eyes, nose, and throat (NLM 2001).

VCB is used for medium voltage range from 11 kV to 33 kV. SF6 circuit breakers are applicable for high voltage range from 11 kV to 800 kV. Vacuum acts as the arc quenching medium in VCB. SF₆ circuit breaker has Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) gas as the arc quenching medium.

The SF6 gas is inflammable and chemically stable. Their decomposition products are non-explosive and hence there is no risk of fire or explosion. Electric clearance is very much reduced because of the high dielectric strength of SF6. It gives the noiseless operation.

SF₆ has six fluorine molecules that can break away from sulfur, capture electrons during an arc, and then return to its original state. The gas's electronegativity and high dielectric strength are why it is such a popular insulating gas for use in power T&D equipment.

There are mainly three types of SF₆ circuit breakers depending upon the voltage level of the application: Single interrupter SF6 CB applied for up to 245 kV (220 kV) system. Two interrupter SF6 CB applied for up to 420 kV (400 kV) system. Four interrupter SF6 CB applied for up to 800 kV (715 kV) system.

Figure 7 shows the GWP of the g3 gas mixture with Novec^TM 4710 ratio up to 20%. The GWPs of 20% Novec^TM 4710/80% CO₂ and Novec^TM 4710/80% N₂ are 1104 and 1334, which are only 4.7% and 5.7% that of SF₆, respectively. Therefore, the application of g3 gas results in a significant reduction in GWP.

They are generally used at the outlet of high-power generators (30 MVA to 1800 MVA) in order to protect them in a reliable, fast and economic manner. Such circuit breakers have high carrying current rating (4 kA to 40 kA), and have a high breaking capacity (50 kA to 275 kA).

However, SF ₆ is now known as an extremely strong greenhouse gas with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 23,500 times of carbon dioxide. Additionally, the atmospheric lifetime of SF ₆ is 3,200 years.

What is sulphur hexafluoride mainly used for? ›

Uses of Sulphur Hexafluoride – SF

Used as an electrical insulation, arc quenching and cooling medium in electrical switchgear, transformers and substations. Used as etching gasses for plasma etching or as cleaning gasses for cleaning chambers after the etching process in the semiconductor industry.

The GWPs of fluorinated gases vary greatly and levels can be substantial. For example, 1 kg of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is equal to 22.8 thousand kg of CO₂ equivalents.

It is a potent greenhouse gas with a high global warming potential, and its concentration in the earth atmosphere is rapidly increasing. During its working cycle, SF6 decomposes under electrical stress, forming toxic byproducts that are a health threat for working personnel in the event of exposure.

Hazard Knowledge

In substations it is sealed in compartments that should have a warning sign denoting SF6 presence. It can only escape in fault conditions, which include fires, when it can generate toxic and corrosive gases or powder that can cause skin burns and severe damage to eyes.

Not classified as a carcinogen according to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Not classified as a skin sensitiser or respiratory sensitiser according to the GHS.

Dioxins and Furans. As discussed in Chapter 5, dioxins and furans are the most-hazardous organic PICs that have been found in the flue gas of any combustion device. (“Dioxins and furans” refers collectively to polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)).

During arc extinction SF6 gets decomposed into SF₄ and SF₂.

The common method of SF₆ disposal is by using the incineration process. This method helps reduce the release of greenhouse gases. It makes waste management of the gas easier as the method requires relatively small space.

Protect the Environment - SF₆ is the most potent greenhouse gas known. It is 23,500 times more effective at trapping infrared radiation than an equivalent amount of CO₂ and stays in the atmosphere for 3,200 years.

Sulphur hexafluoride – also known as SF₆ – is a 'greenhouse gas' that has long played a part in global warming, similar to that of carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Does sulfur dioxide increase or decrease the Earth'S temperature? ›

But volcanic gases like sulfur dioxide can cause global cooling, while volcanic carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, has the potential to promote global warming.

In some other cases, coal-fired power plants were shuttered and replaced with natural gas or other cleaner energy sources such as solar or wind. Certain laws and regulations encouraged the changes. The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment and other state regulations mandated significant reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions.

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Since 2005, however, total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 20 percent. Carbon dioxide accounts for most of the nation's emissions and most of the decrease since 1990.

Large volumes of SO2 erupted frequently appear to overdrive the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere resulting in very rapid Warming.

Global Warming Potential (100-year): 1

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. In 2021, CO₂ accounted for 79% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.

The SO2 converts to sulfuric acid aerosols that block incoming solar radiation and contribute to ozone destruction. The blocked solar radiation can cause global cooling. The amount of SO2 released by volcanoes is much less compared to man-made sources but the impact of some eruptions might be disproportionately large.