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Re: [TCML] Sf6 byproducts



On 11/7/13 7:51 PM, jhowson4@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hey everyone,
We use sf6 filled sparkgaps at work (10 psi),  the insides after much use are coated in a white powdery substance.
Can anyone tell me what this substance is, and how toxic it is.


It's typically some fluoride compound, and like all fluorides, it's moderately toxic (not instant death, but don't go sprinkling it on your popcorn). A bigger issue might be that it forms a fairly corrosive mixture if it gets wet.

BTW, SF6 in some cases will form HF (hydrogen from water or the enclosure), which is truly nasty stuff. In a small spark gap, the volume is small so unlikely to be an issue. In a big system, it might not be so fun.

http://www.epa.gov/electricpower-sf6/documents/sf6_byproducts.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/electricpower-sf6/documents/conf06_averyt.pdf


SF6 is great stuff.. pretty inert as it comes, great insulator, good quenching, non-toxic. But gosh, it has all that fluorine in it, so decomposition and reaction products are ugly. Halogens are the root of much evil, when it comes to haz mat.


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