Low Global Warming Potential Gases and Insulation Coordination Strategies for High Voltage Applications

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a manmade gas widely used as an insulating gas in high voltage applications and the power industry. In 1937, GE introduced SF6 as an insulation gas in the electric industry; since then, SF6 has become ubiquitous in medium-voltage (MV) and high-voltage (HV) equipment. Among its key attributes are its intrinsic non-toxic, non-corrosive, and non-flammable nature, in addition to its superior stability over a wide operating window, good thermal conductivity, high dielectric strength, and excellent arc quenching capabilities. These properties make it particularly amenable as an insulating and arc-quenching gas in electrical equipment and as a result, over 90% of gas-insulated switchgear globally uses SF6 as the insulating gas. Despite its widespread use in the power industry, the largest contribution to SF6 emissions is the high energy density community.