Regardless of their comparatively small contributions up to now, emissions of the gasoline are ticking up, and the progress charge has been climbing yearly. SF6 emissions in China practically doubled between 2011 and 2021, accounting for greater than half the world’s emissions of the gasoline.
Now, corporations wish to cast off gear that depends on the gasoline and looking for replacements that may match its efficiency. Final week, Hitachi Power introduced it’s producing new gear that replaces SF6 with different supplies. And there’s momentum constructing to ban SF6 within the energy trade, together with a not too long ago handed plan within the European Union that may section out the gasoline’s use in high-voltage gear by 2032.
As gear producers work to supply options, some researchers say that we should always go even additional and are looking for options that keep away from fluorine-containing supplies solely.
Excessive voltage, excessive stakes
You most likely have a circuit-breaker field in your house—if a circuit will get overloaded, the breaker flips, stopping the movement of electrical energy. The facility grid has one thing comparable, referred to as switchgear.
The distinction is, it typically must deal with one thing like 1,000,000 instances extra power than your property’s gear does, says Markus Heimbach, govt vice chairman and managing director of the high-voltage merchandise enterprise unit at Hitachi Power. That’s as a result of elements of the facility grid function at excessive voltages, permitting them to maneuver power round whereas shedding as little as potential. These excessive voltages require cautious insulation always and security measures in case one thing goes flawed.
Some switchgear makes use of the identical supplies as your property circuit-breaker packing containers—there’s air round it to insulate it. However when it’s scaled as much as deal with excessive voltage, it finally ends up being gigantic and requiring a big land footprint, making it inconvenient for bigger, denser cities.
The answer right this moment is SF6, “an excellent gasoline, from a know-how standpoint,” Heimbach says. It’s capable of insulate gear throughout regular operation and assist interrupt present when wanted. And the entire thing has a a lot smaller footprint than air-insulated gear.
The issue is, small quantities of SF6 leak out of apparatus throughout regular operation, and extra might be launched throughout a failure or when previous gear isn’t dealt with correctly. When the gasoline escapes, its sturdy capability to entice warmth and the truth that it has such an extended lifetime makes it a menace within the ambiance.