F-Gas: Glossary
In alphabetical order: press F3 to search for the key term.
| Activities using F-Gases | These include procurement (including import where applicable), storage, transport, recovery, recycling or reclamation, destruction and/or final disposal of F-Gases, installation, use and servicing, charging/refilling of Equipment, monitoring (including leak checking and inspections), recordkeeping, and reporting on/of F-Gases and Equipment. |
| Decommissioning | The permanent disconnection, dismantling and removal from operation or usage of equipment that contains F-Gases including the final shut-down of a facility. |
| Destruction | The process of transforming or decomposing permanently and as completely as possible a F-Gas into one or more stable substances that are not fluorinated gases. |
| Equipment | A self-contained element, or a set of connected elements, that contains F-Gas(es), such as an installation, a facility or an experimental set-up. |
| Fluorinated Gases (F-Gases) | Artificial gases that contain fluorine, are molecularly very stable, have the capacity to trap infrared radiation from Earth and have a long lifespan in the atmosphere: they therefore contribute intensively to the man-made greenhouse effect. The most common fluorinated gases still available on the market belong either to the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) or perfluorocarbons (PFCs) families, or in the form of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), etc. |
| Greenhouse Gases (GHG) | GHG are those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of terrestrial radiation (infrared) emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere itself and by clouds. This property causes the greenhouse gas effect. |
| Greenhouse Gas effect | The greenhouse effect is the process through which heat is trapped near Earth’s surface by substances known as ‘greenhouse gases’. |
| Global Warming Potential (GWP) | Unit-less indicator which allows comparison of the climatic warming impact of a greenhouse gas relative to that of carbon dioxide (CO2). Specifically, it is a measure of the amount of energy 1kg of a certain gas (or mixture) will absorb over a given period (usually 100 years) relative to 1kg of CO2. The GWP of CO2 equals 1. An up-to-date list of the standard reference values for Global Warming Potential used at CERN can be found in the document: EDMS 3120836. |
| Halocarbons | Collective term for the group of partially halogenated organic species, which includes chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), halons, methyl chloride and methyl bromide. Many of the halocarbons have large global warming potentials. The chlorine and bromine-containing halocarbons are also involved in the depletion of the ozone layer. |
| Handling | Collective term used to describe the following F-Gas activities: – procurement (including import where applicable), storage, transport, recovery, recycling or reclamation, destruction and/or final disposal of F-Gases, – installation, use and servicing, charging/refilling of Equipment, – monitoring (including leak checking and inspections), recordkeeping, and reporting on/of F-Gases and Equipment. |
| Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) | Sub-family of Halocarbons containing only hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon atoms. Because HFCs contain no chlorine, bromine, or iodine, they do not deplete the ozone layer. However, like other halocarbons, they are potent greenhouse gases. |
| Leak Detection System | A calibrated mechanical, electrical or electronic device for detecting leakage of F-Gases which, on detection, alerts the operator. |
| Maintenance | All activities that entail opening the circuits or other subparts containing or designed to contain F-Gases. These activities include topping-up the system with F-Gases, removing one or more pieces of circuit or equipment, reassembling two or more pieces of circuit or equipment, as well as repairing leaks or adding F-Gases. Maintenance includes leak checks and F-Gas recovery. |
| Mixture | A substance composed of two or more substances, at least one of which is a F-Gas. |
| Non-Standard Equipment | Machine, facility, or tool made specifically for CERN applications, it also includes standard equipment that has undergone transformation or modification. |
| Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) | Synthetically produced halocarbons containing only carbon and fluorine atoms. They are characterised by their very high stability, non-flammability, low toxicity, zero ozone-depleting potential, and high global warming potential. |
| PFAS | Synthetic fluorinated substances that contain at least one fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atom (without any H/Cl/Br/I atom attached to it). Aside from a few noted exceptions, PFAS are any chemical with has at least a perfluorinated methyl group (–CF3) or a perfluorinated methylene group (–CF2–). |
| Recovery | The recuperation and storage of F-Gases from containers and equipment during maintenance or servicing or prior to the decommissioning of the containers or equipment. |
| Recycling | The reuse of a recovered F-Gas following a basic cleaning process, including filtering and drying. |
| Retrofit | The addition of new technology or features to older systems or equipment to reduce their environmental impact (e.g. replacement of F-Gases used in equipment by F-Gases with lower GWP or by gases with no GWP). |
| Standard Equipment | Off-the-shelf equipment, machine, facility or tool. |
| Temporary Experiment | Any experiment of a duration of less than six months. |
F-Gas Guidance Menu
CONTACT INFO
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Chapter Version 1.0 (See all previous versions on EDMS)