Pulse breakdown characteristics of gases relevant to high voltage switches

Electric Power requirements are growing at the rate of 7% per year or doubling approximately every ten years. This in turn produces a continuing need for upgrading and adding to present generation transmission and distribution capabilities. With all this increase in total power, the reliability requirements have also been similarly upgraded to ensure minimum interruption of supply under fault conditions. This is readily understandable in that, with more dependence on and greater need for electric power, any interruption of the supply becomes progressively more catastrophic. The net result is a demand for the availability of sufficient backup power and the means of isolating the fault conditions and getting this backup power onto the relevant grid system with the minimum delay. These functions of isolation and diversion, are performed by switchgear which thus assumes a critical role in ensuring the continuity of the supply of electric power.