Numerical simulation of gas breakdown process in field distortion switch

The electric field distribution in a field distortion spark gap were calculated, which shows an uniform field in the gap before triggering and an extremely non-uniform one at the moment of triggering. A model for studying the gas breakdown process in the field distortion spark gap was established and the discharge process was numerically simulated. The formative time of breakdown for the gap is calculated to be about 28 ns when a working voltage of 40 kV is applied to the gap that is filled with one atmospheric air. The results indicate that the formative time of breakdown in the lower gap is always much longer than that in the upper gap