Analysis of Insulation Gas SF6 by the GC-BID System

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) gas has superior insulation properties and is highly stable. For this reason, it is used as the insulation in gas-insulated transformers, breakers, and other electrical equipment. Moreover, as a tracer gas, it is widely used in a variety of fields. On the other hand, SF₆ is known to be a highly significant greenhouse effect gas, and has been targeted for emissions control by the COP3 Kyoto Protocol.
Conventional methods specify analyzing SF₆ using an ECD detector, which is capable of the highly sensitive detection of electrophilic compounds. However, this method results in some unresolved issues, such as the accuracy of quantitation in high concentration ranges and the fact that radioisotopes need to be used, which involves tedious and complicated procedural work. With a barrier ionization discharge detector (BID), the highly sensitive detection of a wide range of components is possible^*1. This detector offers both the stability and high sensitivity of conventional general-purpose detectors by incorporating unique barrier ionization discharge technology.
This data sheet introduces an example of the analysis of SF₆ using a highly sensitive Shimadzu Tracera gas chromatograph equipped with a BID.

*1 Helium and neon cannot be detected.