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

As a greenhouse gas with strong global warming potential, the use of SF₆ needs to be reduced as much as possible. Researching environmentally friendly insulation (EFI) gases to replace SF₆ in power electrical equipment is an effective way to reduce its usage. CF₃SO₂F/N₂, as a newly proposed EFI gas, has certain potential to replace SF₆. Compatibility of CF₃SO₂F/N₂ gas with rubber sealing materials commonly used in electrical equipment is still unknown. In this article, the compatibility of CF₃SO₂F/N₂ with the ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) and chloroprene rubber (CR) was investigated experimentally. It was found that CF₃SO₂F/N₂ 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 CF₃SO₂F/N₂, and it was similar to the influence of SF₆. While the surface morphology of CR deteriorated significantly with obvious defects. The mechanical properties of EPDM were not significantly affected by CF₃SO₂F, which is similar to the influence of SF₆. But CR was affected greatly by CF₃SO₂F 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 CF₃SO₂F/N₂ as a new EFI gas in power equipment.