How is sf6 created

It has a greater GWP than carbon dioxide, but much less than that of nitrous oxide, which agriculture and manufacturing also emit. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum. Top COP26 stories: China and the US reach emissions deal; aviation sector seeks sustainable jet fuels; call for global agreement on sustainability reporting standards. I accept. SF6 or sulphur hexafluoride is used for insulating in the electricity industry.

Take action on UpLink. Forum in focus. Read more about this project. Explore context. Explore the latest strategic trends, research and analysis. Have you read? Want to cut greenhouse gas emissions? Look to digital technologies Greenhouse gases have reached an unprecedented level Greenhouse gases: Everything you need to know. The 'F-gases' are a small but potent part of overall greenhouse gas emissions. What's the World Economic Forum doing about the transition to clean energy?

Global warming potential of various greenhouse gases. License and Republishing. It has also been used in the manufacture, casting and degassing of molten aluminium and magnesium; because it is so unreactive, it forms a dense blanket that keeps atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen away from the hot metals during processes like diecasting these very reactive metals even react with nitrogen when hot.

If air containing SF 6 is inhaled, the pitch of the person's voice is lowered, as it is a large, heavy, molecule, which reduces the velocity of sound waves, the converse of the better-known phenomenon with helium.

Since the s, SF 6 has been used in double-glazed windows to improve sound insulation, due to the reduced velocity of sound. It is, however, no good for thermal insulation. A rubber balloon filled with SF 6 will expand and ultimately burst, as the smaller and faster-moving O 2 and N 2 molecules diffuse through the rubber skin into the balloon very much faster than SF 6 can diffuse out.

SF 6 has been used to inflate car tyres, and Nike employed SF 6 for air cushioning its Air Max shoes from onwards, as the use of this large molecule minimised leaks from the air cushions in the heel.

Though the greenhouse potential of SF 6 was recognised in , it took them nearly 14 years to solve the problem; in the end, Nike used 65 layers of plastic to reduce nitrogen loss, and employed blow moulding to produce the desired product, the SF 6 -free AirMax photo, left. SF 6 concentrations in the ppb and even ppt range can be measured by IR spectroscopy and gas chromatography, and because of this - and also its unreactivity - SF 6 has come into fashion as an environmental tracer.

Thus, SF 6 has been suggested as a tracer for underground water leaks and burst water pipes; similarly, it was used in tests at St John's Wood Underground station in North London on March 25th when its dispersion was monitored to show how a nerve gas might spread during a terrorist attack. Back to Molecule of the Month page. Sulphur hexafluoride, SF 6 The unreactive gas that's found in electrical insulation, trainers and double-glazing.

Their use must simply be phased out as well. A typical medium voltage gas insulated switchgear GIS. Regulatory bodies are increasingly scrutinising such greenhouse gases. Similarly, the European Commission is also investigating the role of SF6 in the energy industry and has commissioned a study into SF6 and available alternatives as part of its legislation to control F-gases.

The report will be published in July and the regulation will be amended in EU Parliament, Although it is clear that sustainably reducing the warming influence of greenhouse gases will be possible only with substantial cuts in emissions of CO2, reducing non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions would be a relatively quick and cost-effective way of contributing to this goal.

Regulators should see greenhouse gases such as SF6 as an opportunity to tackle the path dependency that plagues innovation in the energy sector and send a clear message that the Paris climate agreement is being taken seriously.

The unique challenge of climate regulation is that there simply is not the time for trial and error of normal incrementalism.

Climate change will not wait. Nicholas Ottersbach is a business developer and researcher at Nuventura , a cleantech startup involved in developing an alternative for SF6. Ashford, N. Sustainability 3. Benner, J. CE Delft. Biasse, J. Schneider Electric. Blackman, A. Annual Review of Resource Economics.

CEER, Deign, J. De Reuver, M. Energy Policy Dunse, B. EU Parliament, EU Commission, EU Commission. Eves, M. Western Power Distribution. Godomel, F.