Flashover of a Liquid Conducting Film Part 1: Flashover Voltage

We have studied the phenomenon of flashover in a configuration related to that of flashover of high voltage insulators under polluted conditions: a glow discharge is struck at the surface of a liquid, and if the applied voltage is above a critical value, flashover occurs. The flashover voltage Uc is dependent upon source capacity through two competing phenomena, the source voltage drop and liquid heating. The theoretical analysis shows the existence of a limiting value for Uc. The flashover voltage is also dependent upon the current constriction in the liquid at the liquid discharge interface and upon the influence of the liquid on discharge V(i) characteristic. Taking into account these parameters, a reasonable agreement is reached between experimental and theoretical results.