Theoretical Analysis on the Self-Recovery Ability of C₅F₁₀O: An Environmental-Friendly Substitute for SF₆

As an environmental-friendly substitute for insulation gas SF6, C5F10O needs to have the self-recovery ability after its failure decomposition to assure the long-term reliability of C5F10O insulated equipment. But whether and how C5F10O can be self-recovered from its decomposition products has not been revealed yet. This article theoretically explores the self-recovery mechanism of C5F10O via the analysis of its self-recovery pathways. The 22 possible recovery reactions of C5F10O are proposed based on its decomposition pathways and products. Then, the difficulty of the self-recovery reactions at 298–1000 K is deduced based on their thermodynamic and chemical kinetic parameters calculated with density functional theory. Finally, the recovery ability of C5F10O at different temperatures is evaluated by comparing the rates of pyrolysis and recovery reactions. The results show that recovery reactions involving decomposition products CF3COCFCF3•, (CF3)2CFCOF•, (CF3)2CFCO•, CF3•, CF2•, and C3F6 hold much larger equilibrium and rate constants among the 22 pathways, and thus play the dominant role in the recovery process. Meanwhile, compared with the decomposition reactions, when over-heated C5F10O cools to 298 K, the rate constants of most recovery reactions are much larger than those of the decomposition reactions, proving that C5F10O can be partly recovered after pyrolysis. This work further evaluates the applicability of C5F10O as a substitute for SF6 from the perspective of recovery ability and provides an essential reference for the maintenance strategy of C5F10O-insulated equipment.