34
11. Instructions for handling apparatus
containing SF
6
gas
Initspurestate,SF
6
isanodourless,colourless,non-toxicgas
with a density about six times higher than that of air. For this
reason, although it does not lead to any specific physiologi-
caleffects,itcanproduceeffectscausedbylackofoxygenin
places saturated with SF
6
.
The electric arc produced during the interruption phase of the
circuit breaker decomposes a very small amount of SF
6
. The
products of this decomposition remain inside the poles and are
absorbed by special substances which act as molecular sieves.
The probability of coming into contact with decomposed SF
6
isextremelyremote,anditspresenceinsmallquantities(1-3
ppm) is immediately noticeable because of its sour and un-
pleasantsmell.Ifthishappens,theroommustbeairedbefore
anyone enters it.
The strong infrared absorption of SF
6
and the fact that it re-
mains in the environment for a long time are the reasons for its
highGlobalWarning Potential(GWP),whichis22,200 higher
thanCO2,accordingtotheThirdAssessmentReport.
The GWP (global warming potential) of 1 kg of SF
6
,withrefer-
enceto1kgofCO2,iscalculatedoveratimeperiodof100
years. Its overall contribution to the global greenhouse gas
effect from all applications, amounts to approximately 0.2%.
However,theGWPofSF
6
gas alone is not sufficient for mea-
suring the environmental impact of electric power equipment
based on SF
6
technology.
The environmental impact of any specific application should
be evaluated and/or compared using the Life Cycle Assess-
ment-LCAapproach,asestablishedbyISO14040standards.
The Electric Industry uses SF
6
in a closed cycle, e.g. in the
circuit-breakersofgasinsulatedsubstations(GIS),inmedium-
voltageandhigh-voltagegasinsulatedcircuit-breakers(GCB),
in igh-voltage gas insulated lines (GIL) and in gas insulated volt-
agetransformers(GVT).InAsia,significantquantitiesofSF
6
are
banked in gas insulated power transformers (GIT) as well.
The Electric Industry is reported to be the most important user
of SF
6
, worldwide. In spite of being the most important user
of SF
6
,theElectricIndustryisalowcontributortotheglobal
emission of SF
6
,farbelowotherindustriesoruserswith“open
applications” of this gas.
However,theimportanceofSF
6
gas as a source of GWP varies
substantiallyfromregiontoregionandfromcountrytocountry,
depending on the proceduresused for handling it, the tight-
ness of the electric power equipment and the amount of gas
banked in electric equipment.
Consultdocument1VCP000264or1VCP000266forinfoabout
the Life Cycle Assessment of apparatus.
Please contact the ABB Assistance Service for information
about how to dispose of SF
6
gas as this operation must only
be carried out by trained and qualified personnel. The persons
to contact are listed at http://www.abb.com/ServiceGuide/al-
phabetical.aspx.
Specific instructions about how to empty the SF
6
gas from the
equipment are available on request (ask for internal document
650551or1VCP000617).
The volume of SF
6
gas in each apparatur is indicated on the
nameplate.
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