Iec 60480 2019

IEC 60480
®
Edition 3.0 2019-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE colour
inside
Specifications for the re-use of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and its mixtures
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
in electrical equipment
(standards.iteh.ai)
Spécifications pour la réutilisation de l’hexafluorure de soufre (SF6)
IEC 60480:2019
et des mélanges contenant du SF6 dans le matériel électrique
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/74c9c6d3-8dda-4b43-bb18-
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
IEC 60480:2019-04(en-fr)
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IEC 60480
®
Edition 3.0 2019-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE colour
inside

Specifications for the re-use of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and its mixtures
in electrical equipment
(standards.iteh.ai)
Spécifications pour la réutilisationIEC de60480:2019
l’hexafluorure de soufre (SF6)
et des mélanges contenant du SF6 dans le matériel électrique
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 29.040.20; 29.130.01 ISBN 978-2-8322-6697-7
Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.
Attention! Veuillez vous assurer que vous avez obtenu cette publication via un distributeur agréé.
® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission

Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale
–2– IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019
CONTENTS
FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................... 5
1 Scope .............................................................................................................................. 7
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................... 7
3 Terms and definitions ...................................................................................................... 8
4 Contaminants and their sources ...................................................................................... 9
4.1 General ................................................................................................................... 9
4.2 Contaminants from handling and use ...................................................................... 9
4.3 SF 6 by-products in equipment that only have an insulating function ........................ 9
4.4 SF 6 by-products in switching equipment ............................................................... 10
4.5 SF 6 by-products from internal arcs ....................................................................... 10
4.6 SF 6 mixtures specific by-products ......................................................................... 10
5 Specifications for re-use of SF 6 ..................................................................................... 10
6 Specifications for re-use of SF 6 mixtures ....................................................................... 11
7 Reclaiming of SF 6 and SF 6 mixtures ............................................................................. 11
7.1 Feasibility and process ......................................................................................... 11
7.2 Detection techniques for checking the quality of the gases.................................... 14
7.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 14
7.2.2 iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
On-site analysis ............................................................................................. 14
7.2.3 Laboratory analysis ....................................................................................... 15
(standards.iteh.ai)
8 Handling, storage and transportation (informative) ......................................................... 16
9 Safety and first aid ........................................................................................................
IEC 60480:2019 16
9.1
General safety rules .............................................................................................. 16
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
9.1.1 General ......................................................................................................... 16
9.1.2 Protection of personnel .................................................................................. 17
9.1.3 Handling of contaminated safety equipment and tools .................................... 18
9.1.4 Pressurized equipment and tools or measuring devices ................................. 19
9.1.5 Personal safety and protective equipment ...................................................... 19
9.1.6 Facilities and services ................................................................................... 20
9.2 Additional safety measures in case of abnormal release of SF 6 due to
external fire or internal arc fault ............................................................................ 20
9.3 First aid equipment and treatment ......................................................................... 21
9.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 21
9.3.2 Irritation of the skin ........................................................................................ 21
9.3.3 Irritation of the eyes ....................................................................................... 22
9.3.4 Breathing difficulty ......................................................................................... 22
10 Environmental aspects .................................................................................................. 22
Annex A (informative) Description of methods of analysis (on-site and laboratory) ............... 23
A.1 Sampling............................................................................................................... 23
A.1.1 General ......................................................................................................... 23
A.1.2 On-site sampling connection .......................................................................... 23
A.1.3 Sample cylinder for laboratory analysis .......................................................... 23
A.1.4 Sampling methods for laboratory analysis ...................................................... 24
A.2 On-site analysis .................................................................................................... 25
A.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 25
A.2.2 SF 6 concentration meter ................................................................................ 25
IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019 –3–
A.2.3 Hygrometers .................................................................................................. 25

A.3 Laboratory analysis ............................................................................................... 26
A.3.1 Gas chromatography ..................................................................................... 26
A.3.2 Infrared spectroscopy .................................................................................... 28
Annex B (informative) By-products of SF 6 and its mixtures ................................................... 31
B.1 Decomposition of SF 6 and its mixtures ................................................................. 31
B.1.1 General ......................................................................................................... 31
B.1.2 Behaviour of SF 6 in an electric arc ................................................................ 31
B.1.3 SF6 decomposition with low current discharges ............................................. 33
B.1.4 Catalytic decomposition of SF 6 (high-temperature behaviour) ....................... 33
B.2 Corrosion behaviour of SF 6 and its by-products .................................................... 33
B.3 Measures for the removal of by-products .............................................................. 33
B.4 Physiological characteristics of by-products .......................................................... 34
Annex C (informative) Procedures for evaluating the potential effects on health from
by-products of SF 6 and its mixtures ...................................................................................... 35
C.1 General ................................................................................................................. 35
C.2 Formation and health effects of SF 6 by-products .................................................. 35
C.2.1 Formation of SF 6 by-products ........................................................................ 35
C.2.2 Effects of SF 6 by-products on health ............................................................. 36
C.2.3 Quantitative estimation of gaseous by-products ............................................. 37
C.2.4 iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
Procedures for health risk evaluation ............................................................. 38
C.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 40
(standards.iteh.ai)
Annex D (informative) Reclaiming recommendations ............................................................ 42
D.1 General .................................................................................................................
IEC 60480:2019 42
D.2 Filtering https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/74c9c6d3-8dda-4b43-bb18-
recommendations .................................................................................... 42
D.3 Transport of used SF 6 in8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
gas cylinders and containers by road ............................. 42
Annex E (informative) Cryogenic reclaiming of SF 6 .............................................................. 43
E.1 General ................................................................................................................. 43
E.2 Applications .......................................................................................................... 43
E.3 Physical background ............................................................................................. 43
E.4 Cryogenic processes............................................................................................. 44
E.5 Description of a cryogenic reclaimer ..................................................................... 44
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 47
Figure 1 – Decision flow chart for recovered SF 6 .................................................................. 13

Figure A.1 – One-sampling cylinder method set-up ............................................................... 24
Figure A.2 – Two-sampling cylinder method set-up ............................................................... 24
Figure A.3 – Example of a gas chromatogram in one print out showing the different
possible by-products after decomposition ............................................................................. 27
Figure A.4 – Typical GCMS chromatogram of decomposed SF 6 /CF 4 mixture ........................ 28
Figure A.5 – IR spectrum of contaminated SF 6 ..................................................................... 30
Figure C.1 – Procedure for the evaluation of the potential effects on health due
to arcing ............................................................................................................................... 39
Figure C.2 – Procedure for the evaluation of the potential effects on health due to low
energy discharges ................................................................................................................ 40
Figure D.1 – Saturated vapour pressure of various gases as a function of temperature........ 43
Figure D.2 – Typical cryogenic reclaimer for SF 6 recovery on site ........................................ 45
Figure D.3 – Typical cryogenic reclaimer for removing contaminants .................................... 45
–4– IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019
Table 1 – SF 6 contaminants ................................................................................................... 9

Table 2 – Specifications for re-use of SF 6 ............................................................................ 10
Table 3 – Specifications for re-use of SF 6 /N 2 mixtures ......................................................... 11
Table 4 – Specifications for re-use of SF 6 /CF 4 mixtures ....................................................... 11
Table 5 – General contaminants and methods for their removal ............................................ 12
Table 6 – Typical adsorbents for various SF 6 contaminants .................................................. 12
Table 7 – On-site methods .................................................................................................... 15
Table 8 – Laboratory methods .............................................................................................. 16
Table 9 – Measures when working with SF 6 electric power equipment .................................. 17
Table 10 – Safety measures when opening or accessing gas compartments ......................... 18
Table 11 – Neutralizing solutions .......................................................................................... 19
Table 12 – Additional safety measures .................................................................................. 21
Table A.1 – Peak absorption of SF 6 and contaminants ......................................................... 29
Table C.1 – OELs for SO2, HF, and S2F10 ........................................................................... 37
Table C.2 – SOF 2 production rate ......................................................................................... 37

(standards.iteh.ai)
IEC 60480:2019
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019 –5–
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

____________
SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE RE-USE OF SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF 6)

AND ITS MIXTURES IN ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
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with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
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3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
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(standards.iteh.ai)
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
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5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
IEC 60480:2019
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have 8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 60480 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 10: Fluids
for electrotechnical applications.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition, published in 2004. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
• specifications for the re-use of SF 6 have been confirmed;

• specifications for the re-use of SF 6 mixtures, namely SF 6 /N 2 and SF 6 /CF 4 mixtures are
included;
• as a result of a new repartition of annexes in IEC 60376, IEC 60480 and IEC 62271-4, this
new edition now contains the following five annexes:
– Annex A: Description of methods of analysis (on-site and laboratory);
– Annex B: By–products of SF 6 and its mixtures;
–6– IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019
– Annex C: Procedure for evaluating the potential effects on health from by-products of SF 6
and its mixtures;
– Annex D: Reclaiming recommendations.
– Annex E: Cryogenic reclaiming of SF 6 ;
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting

10/1075/FDIS 10/1080/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This document has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to
the specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
(standards.iteh.ai)
IEC 60480:2019
IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
understanding of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a
colour printer.
IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019 –7–
SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE RE-USE OF SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF 6)

AND ITS MIXTURES IN ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
1 Scope
This document provides criteria for the re-use of sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) and its mixtures
after recovery and reclaiming from electrical equipment (e.g. for maintenance, at the end-of-
life).
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6 ), nitrogen (N 2 ) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF 4 ), are gases commonly
used for electrical equipment. Taking into account environmental concerns, particular
attention is paid to re-use criteria for SF 6 and its mixtures with N 2 and CF 4 for its use in
electrical equipment. Procedures for recovering and reclaiming used SF 6 and its mixtures are
outside the scope of this document and are described in IEC 62271-4.
This document provides several annexes on the description of the different methods of
analysis, on by-products, on the procedure for evaluating the potential health effects from by-
products, on cryogenic reclaiming of SF 6 , and on reclaiming recommendations.
Storage, transportation and disposal of SF 6 and its mixtures are outside the scope of this
document and are covered by IEC 62271-4. Procedures to determine SF 6 leakages are
described in IEC 60068-2-17 [4] 1.
(standards.iteh.ai)
For the purposes of this document, the complementary gases used in SF 6 mixtures will be
limited to N 2 or CF 4 . IEC 60480:2019
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their
content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition
cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including
any amendments) applies.
IEC 60050-192, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 192: Dependability (available

at http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-212, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 212: Electrical insulating

solids, liquids and gases (available at http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-441, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 441: Switchgear, controlgear

and fuses (available at http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-826, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 826: Electrical installations

(available at http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 62271-4:2013, High-voltage switchgear and controlgear – Part 4: Handling procedures for
sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) and its mixtures
___________
1 Numbers in square brackets refer to the bibliography.
–8– IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60050-192,
IEC 60050-212, IEC 60050-441 and IEC 60050-826, and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/

• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
electrical equipment
item used for such purposes as generation, conversion, transmission, distribution or utilization
of electrical energy, such as electric machines, transformers, switchgear and controlgear,
measuring instruments, protective devices, wiring systems, current-using equipment,
insulated bushings, surge arresters
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-826:2004, 826-16-01, modified – "insulated bushings, surge arresters"

has been added.]
3.2
container
vessel (cylinder) suitable for the containment of pressurized gases either in gaseous or liquid
phase, according to local and/or international safety and transportation regulations
3.3
(standards.iteh.ai)
used sulphur hexafluoride
IEC 60480:2019
SF 6 which has been introduced into electrical equipment
3.4
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
reclaiming
process of contaminants removal from an insulating liquid or gas
3.5
recovery
process of transferring gas from electrical equipment to an alternate container
3.6
SF 6 mixture
gas mixture formed by SF 6 and a complementary gas, typically N 2 or CF 4
3.7
contaminant
foreign substance or material in an insulating liquid or gas which usually has a deleterious
effect on one or more properties
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-17-27, modified – "or solid" has been deleted.]
3.8
by-products
contaminants which are formed by the degradation of SF 6 and its mixtures by electrical arcs
or sparks
3.9
ambient air
normal atmosphere surrounding the equipment
IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019 –9–
[SOURCE: IEC 60079-29-2:2015, 3.1.1]
4 Contaminants and their sources
4.1 General
SF 6 recovered from electrical equipment in operation contains several kinds of contaminants.

Contaminants in recovered SF 6 come both from gas handling and from use.
Table 1 summarizes the main contaminants and their sources. Additional information is
available in Annex B.
Table 1 – SF 6 contaminants
SF 6 situation and use Origin Possible contaminant

Leaks and incomplete evacuation For pure SF 6 : Air, oil, H 2 O
Handling and in service
Desorption For SF 6 mixtures: Air, oil, H 2 O, N 2, CF 4
Gaseous by-products: HF, SO 2 , SOF 2 ,
Partial discharges (e.g. corona) and low SOF 4, SO 2 F 2
Insulating function
energy flashovers and sparkovers For SF 6 mixtures: HF, SO 2 , SOF 2, SOF 4,
SO 2 F 2 , NO x, NF X
Gaseous by-products: HF, SO 2 , SOF 2 ,
SOF 4 , SO 2 F 2 , SF 4 , CF 4, WF 6
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW Solid by-products: Metal dusts, particles,
Switching arc erosion
AlF 3 , FeF 3, WO 3 , CuF 2
Switching equipment (standards.iteh.ai) For SF 6 mixtures: HF, SO 2 , SOF 2 , SOF 4 ,
SO 2 F 2, NO x, NF X
IEC 60480:2019
Mechanical erosion Metal dusts, particles
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019Gaseous by-products: HF, SO 2, SOF 2,
SOF 4 , SO 2 F 2 , SF 4 , CF 4 , WF 6
Solid by-products: Metal dusts, particles,
Internal arc Melting and decomposition of materials
AlF 3 , FeF 3 , WO 3 , , CuF 2
For SF 6 mixtures: HF, SO 2 , SOF 2 , SOF 4 ,
SO 2 F 2 , NO x, NF X
4.2 Contaminants from handling and use
Filling and recovering gas leads to the additional contamination with ambient air and water
(humidity).
Moisture desorbs from internal surfaces of the equipment and from polymeric parts. Oil from
handling equipment (pumps and compressors) may also be inadvertently introduced.
When using gas mixtures, the possibility of cross contamination shall be considered
(contaminating one gas mixture by another).
4.3 SF 6 by-products in equipment that only have an insulating function
The essential process is the decomposition of SF 6 by partial discharges (e.g. corona) and low
energy flashovers and sparkovers. The immediate products are fragments of SF 6 , such as
SF 5 , SF 4 and F, combining with O 2 and H 2 O to form compounds, mainly HF, SO 2 , SOF 2 ,
SOF 4 and SO 2 F 2 . Due to low energy of the partial discharges, flashovers or sparkovers, the
accumulated quantities of these compounds are usually negligible.
– 10 – IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019
4.4 SF 6 by-products in switching equipment
During current interruption, the existence of high temperature arcs leads to the formation of
by-products of SF 6 , vaporized electrode metal, polymeric materials and contaminants. In
addition, chemical reactions take place among the products formed (see Table 1).
The quantity of these by-products depends on the number of operations, the cumulative short
circuit current, the design of equipment and the use of adsorbers (solid adsorbents).
Switching equipment may also contain particles and metal dust coming from the rubbing of
contacts.
4.5 SF 6 by-products from internal arcs
The occurrence of an internal arc is extremely rare. The expected contaminants in SF 6 in

faulted equipment are similar to those normally found in switching equipment. The difference
lies in the quantity of compounds, which create a potential toxic risk (see Clause 9). In
addition, significant vaporization of metallic material occurs and creates additional reaction
products such as dust.
4.6 SF 6 mixtures specific by-products
For SF 6 mixtures, the usual SF 6 by-products mentioned in Table 1 and specific mixture by-
products, such as nitrogen oxide(s) and nitrogen fluoride(s) for SF 6 /N 2 and fluorocarbon(s) for
SF 6 /CF 4 , are produced. The quantities depend on the mixture composition, contaminants and
energy introduced. For typical SF 6 mixtures, the gas decomposition rates are not expected to
exceed those for SF 6 .
(standards.iteh.ai)
Within the by-products generated in mixtures, SF 6 by-products are generally predominant in
IEC 60480:2019
terms of quantity and toxicity. Safety procedures related to the presence of the usual SF 6 by-
products shall also apply in applications with SF 6 mixtures.
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
5 Specifications for re-use of SF 6
Table 2 – Specifications for re-use of SF 6
Substance a Concentration
SF 6 > 97 % volume
Air and/or CF 4 < 30 000 µl/l (i.e. 3 % volume)
H2O < 200 µl/l (i.e. 200 ppmv)
b
Mineral oil < 10 mg/kg (i.e. 10 ppmw)
< 50 µl/l total (i.e. 50 ppmv) or 12 µl/l (i.e. 12 ppmv) for (SO 2 +SOF 2 ) or
Acidity
25 µl/l (i.e. 25 ppmv) HF
Key
ppmv = part per million by volume
ppmw = part per million by weight
a H 2 S and CO have been considered irrelevant due to lack of valuable data.
b If gas handling equipment (pump, compressor) containing oil is used, it may be necessary to measure the oil
content of the SF 6 . If all equipment in contact with the SF 6 is oil-free, then it is not necessary to measure the
oil content.
For the determination of total acidity, the sum of all acidic compounds is reported as one
value. Alternatively, total acidity can be measured in terms of (SO 2 + SOF 2 ) or in terms of HF
with a limit value of 12 µl/l and 25 µl/l respectively.
IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019 – 11 –
6 Specifications for re-use of SF 6 mixtures
Table 3 – Specifications for re-use of SF 6 /N 2 mixtures
Substance Concentration
N2 As per OEM specifications
SF 6 percentage ±5 % volume of the specified percentage a
Air and CF 4 < 30 000 µl/l (i.e. 3 % volume) a
H2O < 200 µl/l (.i.e. 200 ppmv)

b
Total acidity < 50 µl/l total (i.e. 50 ppmv) or 12 µl/l (i.e. 12 ppmv) for
(SO 2 +SOF 2 ) or 25 µl/l (i.e. 25 ppmv) HF
Storage conditions
Shall comply with IEC 62271-4:2013, Clause J.7 in order to prevent liquefaction of SF 6 .
Key
ppmw = part per million by weight
a Or unless otherwise specified by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
oil content.
(standards.iteh.ai)
Table 4 – Specifications for re-use of SF /CF mixtures 6 4
Substance IEC 60480:2019 Concentration

CF 4 As per OEM specifications
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
a
SF 6 percentage ±5 % volume of the specified percentage
a
Air and N 2 < 30 000 µl/l (i.e. 3% volume)
H2O < 200 µl/l (.i.e. 200 ppmv)
b
Total acidity < 50 µl/l total (i.e. 50 ppmv) or 12 µl/l (i.e. 12 ppmv) for
(SO 2 +SOF 2 ) or 25 µl/l (i.e. 25 ppmv) HF
Storage conditions
Shall comply with IEC 62271-4:2013, Clause J.7 in order to prevent liquefaction of SF 6 .
Key
ppmw = par per million by weight
a Or unless otherwise specified by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
oil content.
7 Reclaiming of SF6 and SF 6 mixtures
7.1 Feasibility and process
The quality of reclaimed SF 6 shall meet the requirements of this document.

– 12 – IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019
All occurring contaminants are formed in normal operation and can generally be eliminated
on-site. Table 5 lists methods recommended for removing the contaminants as given in
Table 1.
Table 5 – General contaminants and methods for their removal
Contaminant Humidity Gaseous by- Solid by- Air, N 2 , CF 4 Mineral oil

products products
(water vapour)
Removal method Adsorption with Adsorption with Retaining with Separation by Adsorption with
molecular sieve activated solid filters cryogenic activated
aluminium oxide process or charcoal filter
membrane
filtration
For SF 6 and its mixtures, these gaseous contaminants cannot be removed easily on-site. In each situation, an
evaluation of the reclaiming options should be done to determine if the SF 6 and its mixture could be reclaimed
on-site.
Various types of adsorbent materials are available to remove contaminants from SF 6 gas
(see Table 6).
Table 6 – Typical adsorbents for various SF 6 contaminants
Adsorbent Contaminants removed

Molecular sieve 4A Water, SO 2 , SOF 2 , SF 4
(standards.iteh.ai)
Molecular sieve 13X Water, SO 2 , SOF 2 , SF 4
(also adsorbs some SF 6 )
Activated aluminium oxide Water, SO 2 , SOF 2 , SF 4 , HF
IEC 60480:2019
Soda lime (CaO-NaOH) Water, SO F , HF
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-20192 2
Activated charcoal Oil vapour
If the results of the gas analysis exceed the specifications for re-use of SF 6 and its mixtures
given in Table 2, Table 3 or Table 4, a decision regarding the reclaiming method has to be
made depending on the level and type of contamination. In general, re-purifying the gas on-
site with a service device plus a separation device will be the most favourable way. However,
if re-use is not possible, reclaiming by the gas manufacturer or disposal will be necessary. In
this case, the gas shall be sent to the SF 6 manufacturer or reclaimer.
Figure 1 defines the selection procedure to determine the best use of SF 6 after recovery for
potential treatment.
IEC 60480:2019 © IEC 2019 – 13 –

(standards.iteh.ai)
IEC 60480:2019
8a441433eca4/iec-60480-2019
Figure 1 – Decision flow chart for recovered SF 6
• For contaminants of water or by-products, the question of whether the SF 6 is reclaimable

on-site depends only on the performance of the filters available. The addition of external
pre-filters may be required to increase the efficiency of the reclaiming process. If the SF 6
is not reclaimable on-site, then it shall be returned to the SF 6 manufacturer or sent to a
reclaiming or disposal company.
• The case of contamination with air, N 2 and/or CF 4 shall be considered separately.
• For non-mixed SF 6 , if the concentration of air and/or CF 4 exceeds the maximum
acceptable contaminant level as given in Table 2, and if the container from which the
sample has been taken contains liquid SF 6 , then transfer SF 6 from the gas phase into a
second container. The transfer should be continued until a sample from the first reservoir
satisfies the maximum acceptable level. The contents of the second container cannot be

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IEC 60480

IEC Central Office Tel.: +41 22 919 02 11

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iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW

ICS 29.040.20; 29.130.01 ISBN 978-2-8322-6697-7

® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission

A.2.3 Hygrometers .................................................................................................. 25

Figure 1 – Decision flow chart for recovered SF 6 .................................................................. 13

Table 1 – SF 6 contaminants ................................................................................................... 9

iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE RE-USE OF SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF 6)

• specifications for the re-use of SF 6 have been confirmed;

The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:

FDIS Report on voting

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE RE-USE OF SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF 6)

IEC 60050-192, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 192: Dependability (available

IEC 60050-212, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 212: Electrical insulating

IEC 60050-441, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 441: Switchgear, controlgear

IEC 60050-826, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 826: Electrical installations

3 Terms and definitions

• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/

[SOURCE: IEC 60050-826:2004, 826-16-01, modified – "insulated bushings, surge arresters"

[SOURCE: IEC 60079-29-2:2015, 3.1.1]

4 Contaminants and their sources

SF 6 recovered from electrical equipment in operation contains several kinds of contaminants.

SF 6 situation and use Origin Possible contaminant

4.2 Contaminants from handling and use

4.3 SF 6 by-products in equipment that only have an insulating function

4.4 SF 6 by-products in switching equipment

4.5 SF 6 by-products from internal arcs

The occurrence of an internal arc is extremely rare. The expected contaminants in SF 6 in

4.6 SF 6 mixtures specific by-products

5 Specifications for re-use of SF 6

Table 2 – Specifications for re-use of SF 6

6 Specifications for re-use of SF 6 mixtures

Table 3 – Specifications for re-use of SF 6 /N 2 mixtures

Air and CF 4 < 30 000 µl/l (i.e. 3 % volume) a

H2O < 200 µl/l (.i.e. 200 ppmv)

Substance IEC 60480:2019 Concentration

7 Reclaiming of SF6 and SF 6 mixtures

7.1 Feasibility and process

The quality of reclaimed SF 6 shall meet the requirements of this document.

Table 5 – General contaminants and methods for their removal

Contaminant Humidity Gaseous by- Solid by- Air, N 2 , CF 4 Mineral oil

Table 6 – Typical adsorbents for various SF 6 contaminants

Adsorbent Contaminants removed

iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW

Figure 1 – Decision flow chart for recovered SF 6

• For contaminants of water or by-products, the question of whether the SF 6 is reclaimable

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