Breaking the EU "SF₆ Ban": Green Alternatives for High-Voltage Dead Tank Circuit Breaker Successfully Safeguard European Projects

Project Overview

A European export project involving high-voltage dead tank circuit breakers stalled due to the use of traditional SF6 media, failing to meet the requirements of the EU’s "SF6 Ban" and resulting in direct losses exceeding 3 million RMB. Concurrently, a domestic substation faced environmental penalties and high O&M pressure due to a 5% annual leakage rate in its SF6 circuit breakers. Our company urgently implemented a "Green SF6 Alternative and Full-Chain Compliance" solution: replacing pure SF6 with an SF6/N2 gas mixture (SF6 content ≤5%), upgrading to a dual-sealing structure with laser welding, and deploying a gas recovery and monitoring system. Following implementation, the European project passed EU environmental certification and was delivered successfully. The domestic substation reduced its leakage rate to below 0.1%/year and cut annual O&M costs by 60%, successfully resolving both compliance crises and economic losses.

Exceptional Design · Green Innovation

• Media Innovation: The eco-friendly gas mixture reduces the greenhouse effect by over 95% while meeting IEC standards for insulation and arc-extinguishing performance, perfectly suited for high-voltage applications.

• Sealing Reinforcement: Fluororubber double-sealing rings and laser-welded tanks ensure an annual leakage rate ≤0.1%, supported by online SF6 concentration monitoring and automatic alerts.

• Closed-Loop Management: Integrated gas recovery and purification devices ensure 100% recycling of leaked gas, with digital logging for full traceability, achieving "zero emissions and full compliance."

Empowering Infrastructure Development

This solution has been formalized as the "Technical Specifications for SF6 Reduction and Substitution in High-Voltage Switchgear" and has been successfully applied to 12 international projects in Europe and Southeast Asia, as well as over 50 substations in China. It has cumulatively reduced SF6 emissions by over 200 tons (equivalent to 4.78 million tons of CO2 reduction). By leveraging a trinity technical system of "Green Media + Smart Sealing + Closed-Loop Recycling," we are driving the eco-friendly upgrading of high-voltage equipment, providing a replicable Chinese solution for global grid "carbon neutrality" goals and demonstrating our commitment to the green transformation of high-end manufacturing.