Corona Inception and Breakdown in Nonuniform Field with Insulating Support in Air

Corona inception and breakdown was investigated in air for point-to-plane gaps with cylindrical spacers under 60-Hz ac voltages. The effect of a series gap, between the high-voltage point electrode and the spacer, on corona inception and breakdown voltages was also studied. For epoxy spacers the corona inception voltage decreased but the breakdown voltage increased, compared to an equivalent point-to-plane air gap without a spacer. The corona inception voltage characteristic was found to exhibit a maximum at a certain value of the series air gap. The results are interpreted in terms of recently reported observations of spacer surface charging in air and in other insulating gases and insulating barriers.