The use of sulphur hexafluoride gas in power plants is well known to us. What is the use of sulphur hexafluoride gas other than as an insulating medium? Today Newread's series shares some useful facts about sulfur hexafluoride gas that we don't generally understand.

Tin foil floating on SF6

Sulfur hexafluoride is often used as a tracer in the environmental protection industry for air pollution monitoring and hydrogeological research because of its high sensitivity, non-toxic, stable performance, reliable testing method and very little content in nature. Sulfur hexafluoride, a widely used tracer for the determination of air pollution, has a tracer interval of up to 100 km.

The work of the working groups on related subjects has provided the international community with a useful new dimension. Based on their work, ground-gas sampling of radioactive inert tracer gas that occurred near the surface of the suspected underground test site is hopeful of finding conclusive evidence, even months after a clandestine nuclear explosion. In this research work, sulfur hexafluoride as a tracer showed its common effect. It is because of its small amount in nature and stable performance that science and technology can obtain reliable data for simulation calculation.

Moreover, as a non-toxic gas with high stability, sulfur hexafluoride has been widely used in environmental monitoring, microelectronics industry, metallurgy, medicine and military.

Production and preparation of SF6

In the microelectronics industry, electronic grade sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is suitable for the cleaning and etching process of TFT-LCD panel factory and semiconductor factory, and can be used as the dopant of single film optical fiber isolation layer in the production process of optical fiber. In the exercise and casting process of nonferrous metals, sulfur hexafluoride can avoid oxidation of magnesium and its alloy melt, and can also be used for degassing and purification of aluminum and its alloy melt. In the pharmaceutical industry, the most advanced contrast agent ultrasonic method CnTI, the use of contrast agent is sulfur hexafluoride. But here it is, under a foreign name, SonoVue, capable of diagnosis, and is said to have increased helical pressure, thus providing full power independent of the depth of submersion.