Laser‐induced discharge in a rod–plane electrode in the presence of a negative dc electric field

Discharge induction experiments were performed between a plate and a rod on a plate electrode configuration with a gap length of 1 m using a high‐power CO₂ laser and a dc voltage generator. The electrodes are parallel planes. Each plate electrode consists of a central flat part having a diameter of 3 m with a circular edge on a cross section. The length of the rod is 10 cm. A chain of plasma beads of length 10 cm was created on the tip of the rod by the CO₂ laser and used for artificial triggering of negative high‐voltage sparkover. The behavior of streamer, leader, and return stroke was observed by an image converter camera. It was found that a positive upward traveling leader can be triggered from the tip of the rod on the lower plane to the upper plane by the chain of plasma beads created by the CO₂ laser. This apparatus is useful for study for realization of laser‐induced lightning. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 132(4): 19–27, 2000     

Visualization of high‐speed phenomena using an acousto‐optic laser deflector

An acousto‐optic laser deflector was used for visualization of high‐speed phenomena, such as shock waves and density perturbations accompanying an impulse discharge, or shock waves generated by laser‐induced breakdown in air. Using a continuous wave laser as the light source, shadowgraphs of shock waves and density perturbations were obtained at shutter speeds down to 1µs. Results showed that shock waves propagated at a speed of 417 m/s in the case of an impulse discharge, and 485 m/s in the case of laser‐induced breakdown. Prebreakdown phenomena such as leaders progressing from the high‐voltage electrode were also visualized. Compared to conventional high‐speed imaging techniques, this method is useful when using a laser light source, since the acousto‐optic crystal can accommodate high‐intensity laser light. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 154(3): 9–15, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20279     

Development of a laser wavefront sensor for measurement of discharges in air

A laser wavefront sensor of the Shack‐Hartmann type capable of simultaneous measurement at two wavelengths was constructed. The sensor uses a single optical path, and is suited for applications such as high‐voltage discharges in air, in which large insulation distances are necessary. The sensor was used to detect optical path differences due to an impulse discharge in air across a needle–plane electrode gap of gap length 17 mm. Optical path differences were measured at laser wavelengths of 532 and 1064 nm at 1.6 µs after insulation breakdown across the gap. From the difference in optical path differences at the two wavelengths, a line‐integrated electron density distribution in the direction perpendicular to the gap was obtained near the high‐voltage electrode. The distribution had a peak value of 1.4 × 10²⁰m^?2 and a full width at half maximum of 4.4 mm. Because of the coverage of a large observation area including the entire gap, the spatial resolution was 1.4 mm, which was inadequate to obtain the precise form of the electron density distribution. However, the results show the possibility of applying laser wavefront sensing to electron density measurement. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(4): 10–17, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10247     

Development of a high‐speed laser interferometer using an acousto‐optic deflector

An acousto‐optic laser deflector was used as a shutter for high‐speed imaging of laser interference fringes using an ordinary CCD camera. The exposure duration was set by the pulse width of the high‐frequency signal applied to the acousto‐optic deflector. Changes in laser interference fringes due to an impulse discharge in air were obtained at an exposure duration of 4 µs. By applying a sequence of high‐frequency signals with different frequency, the beam was deflected to four different angles at different times, allowing four interference images to be captured on a single video frame. This was used for time‐resolved imaging of the interference fringe pattern. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 148(2): 76–83, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20011     

Impulse partial discharge and breakdown characteristics of rod–plane gaps in air and N2 gases

In response to growing environmental concerns, we attempted to develop switchgear without using SF₆ gas. In our research, we used compressed air and pure N₂ as an electrical insulation gas, because of their low global warming potential. In this paper, we examined the impulse breakdown and impulse partial discharge characteristics under various conditions related to nonuniformity of the electric field. The experimental results show that the breakdown voltage (BDV) of air is higher than that of pure N₂ gas under highly nonuniform field conditions in the rod–plane gap. On the other hand, the discharge inception voltage of air and N₂ were almost the same. Furthermore, first partial discharge (PD), leader discharge, and its transition to the breakdown were successfully observed through the measurement of discharge current and light emissions under impulse voltage application. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 148(3): 36–43, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10277     

Influences of gas density depletion on high‐pressure,pulsed‐glow discharge

High‐pressure, pulsed glow discharge has been studied for the excitation discharge in TEA gas lasers. Various instabilities occur in the subsequent discharge, which induce the arc and collapse for the highly repetitive operation. In this paper, the influences of the gas density depletion on the high‐pressure, pulsed glow discharge have been investigated, eliminating the other instabilities such as shock waves, residual ions, discharge products, and electrode heating. The gas density depletion was produced by utilizing a subsonic flow between the curved electrodes. The comparison has been made on the discharge occurring in the presence of the gas density depletion with that by the double‐pulse experiment in a stable gas. The big gas density nonuniformity tends to cause the arc without the shocks, ions, discharge products, and electrode heating. The transition from glow to arc discharge discontinuously occurs with respect to the gas density depletion. On the other hand, the second discharge in the double‐pulse experiment becomes an arc in much smaller gas density nonuniformity, and the transition from glow to arc occurs gradually. The arc discharge might be driven by some factors other than the gas density depletion. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 130(4): 9–16, 2000     

Development of discharge plasma waveguide with external magnetic field for laser plasma acceleration

To improve the acceleration length in laser plasma acceleration, we investigate the discharge plasma waveguide with a magnetic field. The discharge circuit consists of two pulsed‐power circuits for preionization and main discharge. Discharges were repeated through the circuit using high‐power semiconductor switches. Laser propagation characteristics of discharge plasma waveguide with the external magnetic field were observed. The results show that the reproducibility of waveguide with the external magnetic field is relatively high compared to that without magnetic field. The laser intensity gradually decreases with the strength of external magnetic field. These results suggest that the electron density profile is possible to control using the discharge plasma waveguide with an external magnetic field.     

正极性上行先导特性的模拟试验方法

开展负极性雷电地闪过程中地面物体正极性上行先导特性的模拟试验研究是完善雷电屏蔽分析模型的基础,选择正确的模拟试验方法十分必要。分析了采用棒–棒、棒–板及板–棒等典型放电间隙结构的模拟试验方法的电场特征,研究了各种方法获得的正极性先导特性,并通过与自然雷电下的电场特征及上行先导特性进行对比,评价了各模拟试验方法的等价性。结果表明:采用棒–棒间隙和棒–板间隙无法模拟自然雷电下地面物体附近的电场空间分布特性;采用板–棒间隙可以模拟自然雷电下地面物体附近的电场空间分布特性,但传统的冲击电压发生器无法产生与自然雷电下行先导趋近地面过程中电场时变规律相同的冲击电压。因此,提出了研发一种基于电力电子技术、能够模拟自然雷电下电场时变规律的高压任意波形发生器,并结合板–棒间隙结构,形成正确有效的正极性上行先导特性模拟试验方法。     

激光引雷研究中的若干基础物理问题

激光引雷是一种新概念的防范雷击的技术,其基本原理是利用高强度的激光电离空气而产生一条放电通道,以引导闪电沿安全的路径释放。为促进该技术的应用研究,中国科学家在激光引雷这一领域也开展了多年的研究工作,在激光等离子体通道的产生及其控制,通道寿命的延长以及激光引导放电等基本物理问题上取得了一系列重要的进展。本文介绍了激光引雷技术的基本原理,发展历史和研究现状以及目前面临的科学和技术问题,主要包括如何产生长距离、长寿命的等离子体通道及激光诱导高压放电的基本物理过程。     

Influence of voltage rise time on oxidation treatment of NO in simulated exhaust gas by polarity‐reversed pulse discharge

This paper describes an experimental study of NO removal from a simulated exhaust gas by repetitive surface discharge on a glass barrier subjected to polarity‐reversed voltage pulses. The very fast polarity‐reversal with a rise time of 20 ns is caused by direct grounding of a charged coaxial cable 10 m in length. The influence of the voltage rise time on energy efficiency for NO removal is studied. The results of NO removal using a barrier‐type plasma reactor with a screw‐plane electrode system indicate that the energy efficiency of very fast polarity reversal caused by direct grounding is higher than that of slower polarity reversal caused by grounding through an inductor at the cable end. The energy efficiency of direct grounding is approximately 80 g/kWh for a 50% NO removal ratio and approximately 60 g/kWh for a 100% NO removal ratio. Very intense discharge light is observed at an initial time of 10 ns for fast polarity reversal, whereas the intensity of the initial discharge light for slower polarity reversal is relatively small. To confirm the effectiveness of the polarity‐reversed pulse application, a comparison of the energy efficiency of polarity‐reversed voltage pulses and an AC 60‐Hz voltage is presented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(4): 32–38, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21215     

The influence of surface charge on lightning impulse breakdown ofspacers in SF6

We have investigated the influence of surface charges on the discharge development across particle contaminated spacer surfaces under SF₆ for lightning impulse (LI) voltages (1.2/50 μs). Surface charges may be generated by dc, ac or lightning impulse stress. The discharge characteristic shows a strong reduction of the insulation strength if the applied voltage and the surface charge have opposite polarities. The investigations were performed with a needle protrusion attached to the bottom electrode to give severe field distortion. The bottom electrode was biased positively. The influence on the discharge process is observed by measuring the surface charge distribution and predischarge currents. The results reveal changes in streamer onset voltage, streamer to leader transition, and leader development     

基于有限元弱解式的棒-板长空气间隙先导放电空间电场仿真研究

对棒-板长空气间隙先导放电过程的空间电场分布以及带电离子浓度等特征参数进行仿真计算研究。建立棒-板长空气间隙放电的二维模型,导出流注-先导放电的二阶偏微分方程,通过有限元弱解形式(weak form)数值计算方法求解先导放电过程中产生的电子、正、负离子浓度与空间电场的大小。仿真结果显示：气体放电所产生的空间电荷对空间电场分布影响显著;间隙距离1.5 m的棒-板长空气间隙下,外加500 kV、250/2 500 ms正极性操作电压时的先导放电起始条件为,流注头部带电离子浓度达到4′1013 cm-3数量级,空间电场最低达到10 kV/cm;先导放电形成后,先导通道内电场约为1~2 kV/cm,先导起始时间在400 ms左右且以3′104 m/s速度传播;有限元弱解形式能有效消除计算离子流中的数值振荡,使偏微分方程求解迅速收敛。     

High‐repetition‐frequency short pulses in a VHF discharge‐excited slab‐type carbon dioxide laser using an ultrasonic vibrator

We propose a novel method for producing high‐repetition‐frequency short pulses with a halved confocal configuration consisting of an unstable concave–convex resonator in a very high frequency (VHF) discharge‐excited slab‐type carbon dioxide laser. This method utilizes a fully reflective concave mirror with variable curvature which can be controlled by a piezoelectric device. In general, slab lasers are modulated directly by varying the pulse voltage. However, because plasma fluctuation occurs at the pulse transitions, the repetition frequency is less than 10 kHz and the minimum pulse width is 1 µs. On the other hand, in our method there is no disturbance of the plasma, because the power source is not modulated. There is also little mechanical constraint, because we use a piezoelectric device. As a result, pulse shortening with a high repetition rate is possible. The pulse shape is well reproduced by a three‐level rate equation. The mechanism of the method involves changes in ejection efficiency with periodic variation of the radius of curvature of the mirror. Good agreement between observations and calculations was also obtained for the peak power and the pulse width. In this paper we compare measurements with calculations. The possibility of achieving high repetition rate oscillation and pulse shortening by this method is examined. The results confirm the possibility of achieving a repetition frequency between 1.4 kHz and 170 kHz. The shortest pulse width that can be achieved is 160 nanoseconds. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(3): 1–7, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10127     

不同海拔地区棒–板间隙临界半径的试验研究

在棒–板间隙的正极性操作冲击放电试验中,放电电压受到棒端部半径大小的影响。为得到放电电压随棒端部半径变化的规律,选择棒电极端部为半径19~475 mm的球面,得到2~5 m间隙距离下棒–板间隙的放电电压。试验数据表明,棒端部半径增大到某临界值时,放电电压开始明显增大,该临界值称为临界半径。提出新的临界半径计算方法,并分析临界半径现象产生的原因。为了解不同海拔下棒–板间隙临界半径的变化,分别在北京(海拔50 m)和西藏羊八井(海拔4 300 m)开展了相同棒–板间隙的临界半径试验研究,得到两地的临界半径。试验结果表明,临界半径的大小与棒–板间隙距离和所处海拔有关。     

Development of a 2-kW XeCl laser with a surface coronapreionization scheme and a spiker-sustainer circuit

A maximum average power of 2.1 kW is demonstrated in a XeCl laser with an efficiency of 3.0% at a repetition rate of about 800 Hz. The 2-kW laser has a discharge region of 4 cm in gap length, 2.5 cm in discharge width, and an effective discharge length of 3 m with a resonator length of 5.2 m. A reverse voltage mode spiker-sustainer circuit makes it possible to apply a steep voltage rise of nearly 1000 kV/μs across the main discharge electrodes and to supply excitation energy effectively into the discharge region. The control of the preionization timing before the initiation of the spiker circuit is found to be indispensable in maintaining a homogeneous volume discharge under high repetition-rate operation. These techniques enable the laser to realize a long pulse excitation under the high repetition-rate operation conditions. The excitation process is analyzed by computer-model simulation. The application of a cascaded stable resonator has improved the average power by 6% compared with that of a conventional stable resonator     

全钒氧化还原液流电池石墨棒电极的性能研究

采用不同品牌废旧电池中的石墨棒作为全钒液流电池的工作电极,考察其电化学性能。采用循环伏安法在同一扫描速度下,考察其耐压性能,结果显示5#D石墨棒电极能耐1.65 V电压;在同一扫描电位范围内,不同扫描速度下考察其大电流充放电性能,实验证明在0.20 V/s的扫描速度下仍能表现出较好的电化学性能;进行多次循环伏安测试,考察其循环性能,当扫描100次之后,5#D石墨棒电极的电流保持率仍高达95%以上。结果显示5#D石墨棒电极具有相对较好的电化学性能,适合作为VO2+/VO2+电极的正极材料。     

避雷针迎面先导发展物理过程仿真研究

开展避雷针迎面先导起始及发展过程的仿真研究对建立正确的雷电屏蔽分析模型具有重要意义。基于长间隙放电的物理机制,建立了包括正极性电晕起始与流注发展、先导起始、先导–流注体系发展等物理过程的迎面先导发展物理过程仿真模型,并使用实验室和自然雷电条件下的迎面先导发展过程观测结果对其进行了验证,最后采用该模型对避雷针迎面先导特性进行了分析讨论。结果表明:该模型的计算结果与实验室条件下和一次自然雷电条件下获得的正极性迎面先导发展过程观测结果相吻合;迎面先导起始时刻随着雷电流幅值和避雷针高度的增加而提前;避雷针迎面先导的发展过程主要受雷电流幅值、避雷针高度影响,其发展速度随着下行先导的趋近而逐渐增加;由实验室条件下的正极性棒–板间隙放电获得的先导起始特性直接用于自然雷电中正极性迎面先导起始的计算,以及在迎面先导发展过程的计算中假设迎面先导发展速度与下行先导发展速度成一固定比例是不合适的。     

特高压带电作业绝缘工具操作冲击放电特性及试验电极优化

目前检测机构对特高压带电作业绝缘工具开展操作冲击耐压试验时,电极布置仍沿用低电压等级标准,但试验电压和放电间距大大增加,经常出现绝缘工具间、试验电极对大地或周边构架等非试验通道放电的情况。开展了典型作业工况及试验工况下带电作业用绝缘工具标准波头操作冲击放电特性试验,并对试验工况下放电路径进行统计,提出了采用8分裂U型模拟导线的优化方案,并进行了试验验证,研究结果表明：采用8分裂U型模拟导线可显著降低非试验通道分散放电的概率;对多个试品同时进行试验时,由于存在空气间隙拉弧,试品挂接的水平间距建议不小于5 m;试验电极改进后绝缘杆6.3 m放电电压为2 417 kV,较标准电极增加6.9%,较典型作业工况下最低放电电压增加32.1%,进行绝缘工具耐压试验时建议根据作业工况的耐压要求对试验电压进行修正。     

空间电荷对球头棒-板间隙放电击中点的影响

雷电引起的输电线路事故中因绕击导致的故障所占比例很大,一些学者认为空间电荷的影响是导致屏蔽失效的原因之一。为此,通过试验研究了直流电压下球头棒-板间隙的电晕电流,以此来衡量一定电压下球头周围空间电荷的量;并试验研究了正极性操作冲击下球头棒-板间隙放电击中点的分布规律,且与尖头棒试验结果比较。试验结果和仿真结果表明:与尖头棒相比,球头棒更容易吸引放电;球头棒周围电场畸变不严重,没有形成有效屏蔽层,从而使放电点更容易发生在头部。     

Laser-induced breakdown characteristics of nonuniform dc coronadischarge fields

Laser-induced breakdown of nonuniform field gaps in atmospheric air was caused by an XeCl excimer laser. This laser beam was focused on the center of a rod-to-plane, needle-to-plane or hemisphere-to-plane gap with dc voltage. The laser energy dependency of breakdown voltage was investigated for positive and negative applied voltages and gap lengths of 15 to 25 mm. It was found that the positive breakdown voltage was higher than the negative one in the hemisphere-to-plane gaps or the rod-to-plane gaps with low voltages, where there is little or no space charge. However, the effect of polarity is reversed in the rod-to-plane gaps with large spacings and the needle-to-plane gaps. On the basis of the dependence of the discharge mode on this polarity effect, it can be seen that it was caused by the difference in development of positive and negative streamers in the corona discharge