scope:

This document provides criteria for the re-use of sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) and its mixtures after recovery and reclaiming from electrical equipment (e.g. for maintenance, at the end-of-life).

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), nitrogen (N₂) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄), are gases commonly used for electrical equipment. Taking into account environmental concerns, particular attention is paid to re-use criteria for SF₆ and its mixtures with N₂ and CF₄ for its use in electrical equipment. Procedures for recovering and reclaiming used SF₆ 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 SF₆, and on reclaiming recommendations.

Storage, transportation and disposal of SF₆ and its mixtures are outside the scope of this document and are covered by IEC 62271-4. Procedures to determine SF₆ leakages are described in IEC 60068-2-17 [4]¹.

For the purposes of this document, the complementary gases used in SF₆ mixtures will be limited to N₂ or CF₄.

¹ Numbers in square brackets refer to the bibliography.