Experimental Study of Compatibility between the Eco-friendly Insulation Mixed Gas CF₃SO₂F/N₂ and EPDM and CR Materials

Abstract

As a greenhouse gas with strong global warming potential, the use of SF 6 needs to be reduced as much as possible. Researching environmentally friendly insulation (EFI) gases to replace SF 6 in power electrical equipment is an effective way to reduce its usage. CF 3 SO 2 F/N 2 , as a newly proposed EFI gas, has certain potential to replace SF 6 . Compatibility of CF 3 SO 2 F/N 2 gas with rubber sealing materials commonly used in electrical equipment is still unknown. In this article, the compatibility of CF 3 SO 2 F/ N 2 with the ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) and chloroprene rubber (CR) was investigated experimentally. It was found that CF 3 SO 2 F/N 2 would slightly decompose under the influence of EPDM and CR rubber under certain conditions. The surface morphology of EPDM changed slightly under the influence of CF 3 SO 2 F/N 2 , and it was similar to the influence of SF 6 . While the surface morphology of CR deteriorated significantly with obvious defects. The mechanical properties of EPDM were not significantly affected by CF 3 SO 2 F, which is similar to the influence of SF 6 . But CR was affected greatly by CF 3 SO 2 F gas. Permanent deformation compression and surface morphology are two effective indicators for characterizing the compatibility between gas and rubber sealing materials. This research provides a reference for the application of CF 3 SO 2 F/N 2 as a new EFI gas in power equipment.