What is it?
Our On-Site SF6 Humidity & Purity Analysis Service is designed to measure the humidity and purity of SF6 filled equipment such as: switch gears and breakers. We also measure and indicate the compartment gas pressure.
Why should we test our SF6 gas?
Measurement of humidity in SF6 gas is seen as a preventive approach to substation maintenance. If the humidity content is within manufacturers’ specified limits, then the possibility of HF and SO2 creation is very low. If the humidity is high, then those by-products will be created in high enough concentrations to corrode the insulators and result in unwanted arc-over (short-circuiting) in the equipment.
Purity of SF6 has a direct bearing on its effectiveness in the breaker. If the purity is excellent, there is full assurance of the efficacy of the breaker.
On new installations, purity testing can effectively indicate if the breaker was properly evacuated prior to filling.
How much does it cost?
The price is $75 per compartment with a ten compartment minimum. Additional costs include travel and local expenses for our technician(s). For excess of 100 compartments, please contact us for volume pricing.
How long does it take?
We can test at least 30 compartments per day with a single technician. For higher volumes, we can deploy additional equipment and manpower resources to expedite the testing process.
How do we get our results?
At the conclusion of testing and prior to us leaving the site, we’ll provide both hard and electronic copies of our data in Excel spreadsheet format. All data will be identified by equipment ID, compartment, and phase.
How often should we do it?
We recommend annual or bi-annual testing of each SF6 compartment. Refer to your manufacturer’s specification for more information.
Can our equipment remain energized?
Absolutely. The advantage to our testing method is that there is no downtime required. We test on live, energized equipment.
Feel free to contact us to discuss any specific issues that you may have.
