Investigating Replacements for Sulfur Hexafluoride in High Voltage Gas Switches

SF 6 has been the gas of choice in high-voltage spark gap switches due to its high dielectric strength, stable breakdown voltage, and low acute toxicity hazard; however, SF 6 is a greenhouse gas with a 100-year global warming potential (GWP) 23,500 times greater than CO 2 . Lower GWP alternatives ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Steiner, A. M., Burnette, M. L., Felix, J., Mitchell, M. D., Frye-Mason, G. C., Flynn, M., Stephens, J. C.
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Electric potential
High-voltage techniques
Laboratories
Spark gaps
Sulfur hexafluoride
Switches
Toxicology
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:SF 6 has been the gas of choice in high-voltage spark gap switches due to its high dielectric strength, stable breakdown voltage, and low acute toxicity hazard; however, SF 6 is a greenhouse gas with a 100-year global warming potential (GWP) 23,500 times greater than CO 2 . Lower GWP alternatives are desired to reduce the environmental impact of large pulsed-power systems such as the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories. The fluoronitrile C4F7N and fluoroketone C 5 F 10 O (marketed as Novec™ 4710 and Novec™ 5110, respectively, by 3M™) have shown promise in mixtures with low overall GWP for on-grid SF 6 replacement. However, their suitability for repetitive switching applications has not been well explored.
ISSN:2576-7208
DOI:10.1109/ICOPS45740.2023.10481216