The influence of gap voltage temperature and gas species on the gas conditioning of HV electrodes

Comparative measurements have been made, using plane-parallel oxygen-free, high-conductivity Cu electrodes, to investigate how the gas conditioning effect is influenced by the nature of the residual gas species. All the gases tested (H₂, He, Ar, O₂, N ₂) were found to promote the effect, but only over a characteristic and limited voltage range, for example, 5 to 11 kV for He, 8 to 15 kV for Ar, and 16 to 23 kV for N₂. It has also been established that the permanence of the conditioning effect is influenced by subsequent temperature cycling. These observations have been interpreted qualitatively in terms of an electronic model of the gas conditioning mechanism