Energies, Vol. 12, Pages 4639: Compatibility between C6F12O-N2 Gas Mixture and Metal Used in Medium-Voltage Switchgears (Energies)

C6F12O has been introduced as the potential alternative gas to SF6 because of its excellent insulation properties and great eco-friendly performance. Considering that C6F12O may react with the internal materials of switchgears in practical applications, its compatibility with metal materials must be tested to evaluate its long-term application possibilities. In this work, the compatibility of C6F12O–N2 gas mixtures with aluminum and copper was tested at different temperatures by setting up a heat-aging reaction platform between the gas and each metal. The metal surface morphology and gas composition before and after the reaction were compared and analyzed. The results show that the surface color of the copper sheet changed considerably, and the corrosion degree of the surface deepened with the increase of temperature. The decomposition of C6F12O was also promoted. In contrast, aluminum did not react severely with the gas mixture. The compatibility of the gas mixture with aluminum was generally better than that of copper.