Simple chemical assays for presence of S{sub 2}F{sub 10} in decomposed SF{sub 6}
Disulfur decafluoride (S{sub 2}F{sub 10}; also referred to as sulfur pentafluoride) is a highly toxic gas which can be produced by electrical discharges in SF{sub 6}. It would be very useful, both for safety in handling decomposed SF{sub 6} and for diagnosis of fault conditions, to have a convenient, rapid and sensitive field assay for the presence of S{sub 2}F{sub 10}. A number of different assays for S{sub 2}F{sub 10} with varying levels of sensitivity have been developed in the course of a CRADA initiative ``Investigation of S{sub 2}F{sub 10} Production and Mitigation in Compressed SF{sub 6}-Insulated power Systems.`` These techniques include GC-MS, cryogenic GC enrichment and IR absorption. Although all of these procedures have been shown to have utility in detecting S{sub 2}F{sub 10}, and some have great sensitivity, they do not, in general, lend themselves to rapid field analyses. Ideally, one might wish to have an assay modeled after the ``Draeger Tubes,`` where a gas sample is drawn through some chemical compound, and the resulting color change can be used to quantify the gas of interest. Disulfur decafluoride had been rather extensively studied in World War II as a candidate chemical warfare agent, and along with biological studies of its toxicity, chemical detection techniques had also been developed. Of the chemical assays described, two were particularly promising, one involving reaction of S{sub 2}F{sub 10} with NaI to produce free I{sub 2} which could be titrated with sodium thiosulfate, and the other involving reaction of S{sub 2}F{sub 10} with p-phenylenediamine to produce a pink/red color. This second assay appeared to hold some promise, and accordingly, experiments were carried out to see if this assay could be useful for detecting S{sub 2}F{sub 10} in electrically decomposed SF{sub 6} samples.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 10189263
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940414--6; ON: DE95001423; CRN: C/ORNL--90-0002
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
240400
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400102
AMINES
CHEMICAL AND SPECTRAL PROCEDURES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COLOR
DECOMPOSITION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAS-INSULATED SUBSTATIONS
HEALTH AND SAFETY
HEALTH HAZARDS
QUALITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SULFUR FLUORIDES