Have you heard of the most potent greenhouse gas? It's sulfur hexafluoride or "SF6", which has a warming effect thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide and is widely used in high-voltage electrical equipment for insulation purposes.
It seems that the end of this gas's usage is drawing near, following the announcement by Korean researchers who have developed an environmentally friendly alternative that possesses the same electrical insulation properties. This innovation increases the hope of eliminating "SF6" entirely, contributing to the reduction of global warming.
SF6 is used in high-voltage power equipment and has high efficiency in electrical insulation (Shutterstock)
The Benefits and Catastrophic Drawbacks of SF6
Many may not have heard about "SF6" before. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, and non-flammable synthetic gas with a number of unique and useful properties for various industrial applications. Hence, it is extensively used in many industrial, scientific, and medical applications. This gas is an extremely efficient electrical insulator and does not conduct electricity, making it a safe choice for use in high-voltage electrical equipment such as transformers, electrical switches, and circuit breakers.
In contrast, "SF6" is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases in terms of its potential for global warming, surpassing carbon dioxide by 25,200 times, according to recent studies. This means that the impact of one kilogram of this gas equals the impact of over 25 tons of carbon dioxide. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), annual emissions of "SF6" have steadily increased since the 1980s, leading to a concentration of this gas in the atmosphere now of about 10 parts per trillion. This means there are 10 molecules of this gas in every trillion air molecules.
The environmental impact of "SF6" is especially concerning because it remains in the atmosphere for a very long period, estimated to be over 3,200 years. Today's emissions will continue to affect the environment for thousands of years. It is, therefore, essential for the industry and policymakers to take steps to reduce emissions and find more sustainable alternative solutions.
Despite significant efforts worldwide to develop an environmentally friendly gas to replace sulfur hexafluoride, these efforts have yet to yield notable results, as developing an alternative gas is more difficult than developing new medications, some experts say.
The new gas will make high-power devices less harmful to the environment (Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers)
An Environmentally Friendly Alternative Gas
In this context, researchers from the Korean Electric Research Institute (KERI) have recently invented an "environmentally friendly insulation gas" to replace sulfur hexafluoride. They also developed a new technology that makes it suitable for use in high-voltage electrical equipment.
According to the "SciTechDaily," citing a statement from the Institute, the newly developed gas, named "K6", features the same electrical insulation characteristics in addition to being environmentally benign.
The institute has not disclosed the chemical composition of the new gas, but said that the development process included several stages, starting with the classification of low global warming potential materials currently used in industry, followed by analysis of their electrical and chemical properties. The materials for the new gas were selected based on test results for insulation performance and flammability, then the optimal ratios were determined for application in high-power devices to develop an environmentally friendly insulating gas.
According to the statement, the new gas contains no toxic or harmful components to health and the environment, and its global warming potential is less than that of carbon dioxide. It also has a very low "boiling point" of minus 26 degrees Celsius, making it a stable and applicable gas in most regions of the world.
The new gas has passed application tests on extremely high voltage (145 kilovolts) circuit breakers for transmission levels according to international standards by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Dr. Yoon Ho Oh, director of the Center for Environmentally Friendly Power Device Research at the Korean Electric Research Institute, stated that "K6" performs better than "SF6" and is environmentally friendly, thus it is expected to have a significant impact in making high-power devices used in the energy sector less harmful to the environment and contributing less to global warming.
