What is SF6 gas?
What is SF6 gas? Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a colorless, odorless and inert gas with high chemical and thermal stability that is used for industrial applications.
While SF6 is a non-toxic gas, it can replace oxygen in the lungs and cause suffocation or asphyxia if inhaled too much. SF6 gas is about five times heavier than air, and if it is released or leaked in sufficient quantities into space, it can accumulate in low-lying areas where there is no natural ventilation. Under normal circumstances, exposure to this gas may not be ignored without sufficient oxygen dilution. But for employees of power companies, exposure to this type of gas is a common task when working on SF6-filled panels in enclosed spaces. In fact, if a significant amount of this gas leaks into enclosed areas, it can pose a real risk of suffocation for personnel.
In addition, the toxic toxic products of SF6, which form fine powders such as aluminum fluoride (AlF3), copper fluoride (CuF2), and tungsten oxide (WO3), can also interact with Teflon, copper, tungsten, and aluminum. Shields exist. These fine powders are toxic if consumed or inhaled and cause eye, nose and throat irritation, pulmonary edema and other lung damage, skin and eye burns, nasal congestion, bronchitis and rash.
SF6 is naturally present in trace amounts in sulfur and uranium ores, but is a commercially used compound made by humans. SF6 is widely used by the power industry worldwide in medium and high voltage switches and circuit breakers because it is very effective as an electrical insulator and for extinguishing electric arcs. Could workers be exposed to a gas other than SF6 gas? – ION Science combustible gas during certain jobs, including: employees of applications with gas-insulated panels, in a medical environment, in the semiconductor industry; And are inside military propulsion systems.
Odorless and colorless, relying on the human senses alone in a power plant, medical facility, or semiconductor plant is not helpful in diagnosing SF6 and is very dangerous. We need to find a technical solution to track the effects of SF6.
A highly sensitive leak detector can be used for continuous area monitoring, which is designed to quickly detect leaks at low gas levels. This detector uses a constant amount of SF6 gas from the relay output for immediate notification of detected leaks and does not show any interaction with other gases in the air. Low-cost handheld detectors are also available for fast and accurate gas leak detection.
These easy-to-use processing-controlled tools create an automatic switching function that specifies all environmental effects for each SF6 concentration. Some trackers have an audible alarm and an LED bar chart display. They are a set of portable detectors designed to test a location, leak test and measure gas leakage in a high voltage electrical switch. These leak detectors are not unaffected by large leaks and will continue to be contaminated even after being exposed to 100% SF6 gas.