Determination of Electric Field Distributions Along Fluid-Solid Dielectric Interfaces Using a Schlieren Technique

On the basis of the principle that an applied electric field will cause a change in spatial distribution of the dielectric constant produced by a small applied temperature difference due to the interaction of the gradient of the dielectric constant with the field, the electric field distributions along the interface between a dielectric fluid and a dielectric solid can be measured using a Schlieren technique. Some experimental results for the interfaces between n-hexane and a glass plate surface, and between n-hexane and a semiconducting layer surface obtained with this technique show that the space charge is the dominant factor controlling the field distributions. The other factors, such as the dielectric constants and resistivities of the two materials forming the interface, would play an important role in determining the field distributions if and only if the space charge effect is negligibly small or can be ignored. This technique can be used to study electric field and space charge distributions along fluid-solid dielectric interfaces for practical insulation systems under both steady-state and transient conditions.