Sulfur hexafluoride - SF6
Sulfur hexafluoride - SF6
This page brings together the main information on sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) such as its physical characteristics, its effects on health, the means of detecting it (SF6 gas detector) as well as the appropriate respiratory protection equipment (self-contained breathing apparatus or air-supplied system).
Main characteristics of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a gas used in many electrical applications for its insulating capacity . The latter allows its use in electrical substations, transformers, capacitors, etc. It is also used as a tracer, for example to detect gas leaks or the study and evaluation of freon ventilation systems. In the medical environment it is used as a contrast agent for cardiac and vascular ultrasounds.
Health effects of sulfur hexafluoride
Colorless, odorless, and heavier than air, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is not considered a toxic gas. However, it is suffocating at high concentrations (it replaces oxygen concentrations) in the same way as inert gases (also called noble gases). Sulfur hexafluoride does not have lower or upper explosive limits, however it can react violently with disilane and form an explosive mixture.
It hydrolyzes easily in water into fluorinated compounds (thionyl fluoride and hydrogen fluoride) which are extremely toxic but also corrosive substances. It is one of the six gases considered responsible for the greenhouse effect and targeted by the Kyoto Protocol (one kilogram emitted into the air is equivalent in the long term to almost 23,000 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2)).
SF6 (Sulfur Hexafluoride) Gas Detector
Completely indistinguishable (odorless and colorless), only an SF6 gas detector can accurately measure the concentrations of this asphyxiating gas, so we will move towards fixed or portable hydrogen hexafluoride detection.
For the calibration and gas testing of your fixed or portable gas detectors, sulfur hexafluoride standard gas cylinders are available.
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) respiratory protection
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is an asphyxiating gas with significant risks of suffocation, so we will opt for an open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (ARICO) or an air -supplied system for long-term interventions.