Influence of Dust Particles on the Insulating Performance of SF₆ Gas in a Small Gap at Atmospheric Pressure

SF6 gas is widely used in many fields because of its good insulating property and arc-extinguishing property. However, the emission of SF6 waste gas also accelerates global temperature warming. The insulating performance of the SF6 gas gap is a core property of its efficient utilization and exhaust gas treatment. Therefore, it is very important to study the influencing factors of the insulating performance of the SF6 gas gap. Due to the inevitable dust particles in the production and maintenance environment of SF6 gas equipment, this article studies the influence of dust particles on the insulating performance of SF6 gas in a small gap at atmospheric pressure. The experimental results indicate that in the laboratory environment, the dust particles are numerous and large in size, they adhere to the surface of electrodes, which results in a non-negligible local enhancement of the electric field between small-gap electrodes and reduces the insulating performance of SF6 gas; in a Class 1000 clean room environment, the dust particles are few in number and small in size, which can hardly change the uniform electric field between electrodes and have little influence on the insulating performance of SF6 gas in a small gap. Thus, the dust particles have a non-negligible influence on the insulating performance of SF6 gas in a small gap at atmospheric pressure, and the insulating performance of SF6 gas in a small gap can be changed by controlling the content of dust particles in the gas. This provides valuable guidance for the utilization of SF6 gas and the treatment of SF6 waste gas.