Electrical breakdown and streamer statistics in n-hexane under uniform field conditions

Under uniform field conditions, two modes of electrical breakdown are observed in liquid n-hexane: breakdown may be initiated by either cathode or anode streamers. This observation suggests that two unique sets of phenomena lead to electrical breakdown. High-speed photography was used to obtain a record of each breakdown event, thereby providing statistical information regarding the relative frequencies of anode and cathode processes. The degree to which the relative probability for either process is influenced by experimental conditions is discussed. The relative probability for each mode of breakdown is found to depend on the voltage waveform and is highly dependent on the presence of particulate material in the liquid