Phenomenon of skipping-sparks in discharges on a dielectric surface

Author

Lee, T.S. ; Fung, B.K. ; Markus, D.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng., Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis, MN, USA

fYear

1994

fDate

2-6 Oct 1994

Firstpage

1414

Abstract

Gliding sparks are associated with channel breakdown in air near a corona precharged dielectric layer backed by ground. Characterized by high-current, their bright channels usually end in sudden branching/dimming. Infrequently, a subclass occurs in which channel brightness is interrupted, with no evident local branching but a new leader continuing on propagating after momentary delay. This skipping-spark phenomenon has been studied in an experimental system intended for taking Kirlian photographs. Operated in a Lichtenberg figure mode, the method yields evidence in some detail. The authors report on observations of spark-channel touchdown and subsequent rebounding. A model based on nonuniform surface charging is proposed for explanation. Simulation tests are performed and shown to support the hypothesis

Keywords

corona; dielectric thin films; sparks; Kirlian photographs; Lichtenberg figure mode; channel breakdown; corona precharged dielectric layer; dielectric surface; discharges; high-current; nonuniform surface charging; simulation tests; skipping-sparks; spark-channel rebounding; spark-channel touchdown; sudden branching; sudden dimming; Brightness; Copper; Corona; Dielectric breakdown; Electrodes; Nickel; Propagation delay; Sparks; Surface charging; Surface discharges;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, 1994., Conference Record of the 1994 IEEE

Conference_Location

Denver, CO

Print_ISBN

0-7803-1993-1

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IAS.1994.377608

Filename

377608