Determination of the streamers characteristics propagating in liquids using the electrical network computation

This work is devoted to the modeling of branching streamers propagating in transformer oil using an equivalent electrical network and the electrical network computation. The proposed model enables one to determine the different characteristics of the streamer (i.e., the associated current and the electrical charge, the power and the energy injected in the liquid, the local electric field at the streamer head, the streamer shape and its velocity, the mobility of the charge carriers within the streamer channels, the local viscosity and temperature). It's shown through the simulated values of the mobility of charge carriers, the local viscosity and temperature that both electronic and gaseous mechanisms are implicated in the streamer development. The gaseous nature of streamers and the role of the local electric field are evident. The influence of the conductivity and additives as well as the electrode gap on the propagation velocity of positive streamers is analyzed.     

Creepage discharge characteristics over solid-liquid interfaceswith grounded side electrode

The properties of streamers traveling over the surface of oil-immersed solid dielectrics were experimentally studied under lightning impulse conditions. Streamer polarity and the position of a grounded side electrode significantly affected the relationship between the streamer extension length and the applied voltage. Solid surface charging also had a large effect on the streamer propagation. However, the streamer propagation properties showed a consistent dependence on the potential at the solid-liquid interfaces. In addition, the potential drop inside the streamer channel was measured as a function of normalized streamer length. The curve revealed that the potential drop increased drastically within the region of ~20% from the streamer tip. The streamer appeared to progress with a constant mean velocity     

Study of the Development of Positive Streamers Along an Ice Surface

This paper presents the results of fundamental investigations on the inception and propagation of corona discharge on an ice surface stressed with a standard lightning impulse voltage. High-speed photography and photomultiplier techniques were used to observe and record the propagation of the streamers. The effects of several experimental parameters such as freezing water conductivity and HV rod electrode radius on the streamer inception parameters were investigated. Moreover, time to first streamer, inception voltage and corresponding field, as well as streamer propagation velocity and charge deposited by a streamer on ice surface were measured. The results are discussed and emphases are laid on the main factors influencing the development of positive streamers on ice surface.     

Properties of streamers in transformer oil

The electrical characteristics of creeping discharges and single creeping streamers in transformer oil first are compared with those of streamers developing in the liquid bulk. The distribution of electric potential along the channel of a single negative creeping streamer is determined using a capacitive probe technique. Then the distribution of the space charge associated with each streamer channel is discussed and the electric field around the channels is estimated. A strong correlation between the mean potential gradient and the capacitance of the streamer channels is found. The different results and considerations tend to support the hypothesis of the same basic physical mechanism for both creeping discharges and streamers developing in the bulk     

Inception voltage of positive streamer and its length on PMMA inair

A positive surface discharge on a solid insulator in air consists of many branched streamers. The length of the streamers is controlled by the applied voltage at the instant when the streamers occur. The relationship between the inception voltage and the streamer length depends on the thickness of the solid insulator and the number of streamer branches. At a low voltage, the length of a streamer decreases with increasing the thickness of the insulator, but at a high voltage, it increases with thickness. The length of a streamer with a large number of branches is shorter than that with a few branches. This phenomenon can be explained as follows: the electrons generated in each branch flow into a positive high-potential electrode through the stem of the streamer, and the potential drop in the stem is enhanced due to this electron flow     

Streamer propagation along insulating surfaces

Results concerning the propagation of streamers along insulating surfaces under uniform electric field are presented. The basic properties of streamers, namely the electric field required for a stable propagation and the propagation velocity, have been measured and compared with propagation in air alone as a reference. The results have shown that in the experimental arrangement used significant space charges due to streamer branching are absent, therefore the properties observed are considered as characteristic of a single streamer. Streamers propagate stably with an intrinsic propagation field and a characteristic velocity that depend on the nature of the insulating material. For electric fields higher than the minimum field required for a stable propagation, a streamer system propagates with a `surface' and an `air' component     

正流注传播动力学特性随气压湿度的变化

为了解流注传播电场测量中大气参数的影响,利用“三电极系统”研究了不同气压湿度条件下正流注的传播电场和传播速度。利用两个光电倍增管检测流注在平行极板间的传播,获得了流注传播电场的概率分布及平均传播速度,得到了无外加脉冲电压时流注传播的“稳态电场”与相对空气密度、湿度间的经验公式,并和其它研究者提出的公式进行了比较。研究表明:流注传播的“起始电场”和“稳态电场”随着外加脉冲电压的减小而增大,随着气压和湿度降低而减小;电场强度相同时,流注平均传播速度随着气压和湿度的增大而减小,其数量级为105m/s。     

High field conduction and prebreakdown phenomena in dielectric liquids

The present paper is mainly devoted to phenomena occurring in point-plane electrode geometry, where breakdown is the result of the initiation and propagation of prebreakdown phenomena called "streamers". In this configuration, an investigative study of the streamer initiation processes, requiring very high electric field strengths (/spl sim/ MV/cm), and of propagation (requiring low electric field, /spl sim/ kV/cm) can easily be carried out for negative streamer development as well as for the positive case. From analysis of experimental results in pure liquids the physical processes connected with streamer initiation and propagation, particularly the electronic ones, are presented and discussed. Estimations of the main parameters of slower subsonic streamers and of the faster filamentary ones (such as field strength at the streamer tip, field inside the channel, charge density, etc.) have been obtained from qualitative considerations and compared to experimental data.     

Parallel streamer discharges between wire and plane electrodes in water

Streamer discharges in tap water and distilled water have been generated by applying a voltage pulse from 120 to 175 kV and 500 ns duration to a wire-to-electrode configuration. Electrical and optical diagnostics were used to explore the temporal development of the streamers in tap and distilled water, at various applied voltages and both polarities. With the wire serving as anode, multiple, parallel streamer discharges were generated. The number density of these streamers along the wire decreases with decreasing electric field on the surface of the wire. The dependence of the streamer density on electric field indicates the role of field enhancement at inhomogeneous microstructures along the wire as streamer initiation mechanism. The appearance of the discharge was different for tap and distilled water. However, the measured average streamer propagation velocity from the positive wire to the grounded plane electrode, of 32 mm//spl mu/s, was independent of the water conductivity and the applied voltage. This suggests the existence of a self-sustained electric field at the streamer head. With the wire serving as cathode, only a weak light emission from the area close to the wire was observed, and streamers did not appear for the same voltage amplitude as with the positive polarity. This suggests that an ionic current flowing in the water is not dominant in the streamer propagation process.     

Simulation of streamer discharges as finitely conducting channels

This paper presents a two-dimensional simulation of positive streamers in air at atmospheric pressure in a quasi-uniform electric field. A streamer is assumed to consist of a hemispherical tip and a finitely conducting cylindrical channel with a constant axial potential gradient. The model predicts that E_g~450 kV/m and the radius is r~50 μm in air at standard atmospheric conditions. Moreover, the estimated number of positive ions in the streamer head of stably propagating streamers, agrees with estimations based on more advanced streamer models. The model is used to predict the behavior of streamers in electrical discharges in a semiuniform electric field and good agreement is found between experiment and theory. The computer simulation of such a simplistic model could be applied to predict the behavior of streamer discharges in complex electrode arrangements, including dielectric surfaces     

Effects of additives on prebreakdown phenomena in n-hexane

Prebreakdown phenomena in n-hexane are observed in detail for positive and negative polarities by using simultaneously a high speed schlieren technique and an LED current measuring system, when an impulse voltage (1.1/225 μs) is applied to a point-to-plane electrode gap. Furthermore, the effects of several additives on the streamer propagation are investigated. Especially the effects of electron-trapping additives on negative streamer propagation and of low ionization potential additives on the positive streamer propagation, are examined, as is a correlation between the shape and the propagation velocity of the streamers     

Positive streamer propagation in large oil gaps: experimentalcharacterization of propagation modes

This paper presents an experimental study of positive streamer propagation in mineral oil, in large point-plane gaps under impulse voltage. A systematic investigation was done concerning the influence of gap distance (⩽35 cm), and voltage from streamer inception up to large overvoltages. The measurements presented concern breakdown voltage measurements, time to breakdown, visualization of streamers (streak and still photographs), electrical measurements (transient current, charge), light emission intensity. Streamers are characterized and then classified into different modes (2nd, 3rd and 4th modes) according to their propagation velocities up to more than 100 km/s. According to the applied voltage, transitions between modes are observed, and correlations are established between charge, shape, and streamer velocity. The physical mechanisms as well as practical consequences are then discussed     

Charge and voltage characteristics of corona discharges in acoaxial geometry

An engineering model is proposed to evaluate the variation of corona charge and corona current as a function of applied voltage for coaxial geometry (q-v curves). The two main assumptions of the model are the following: for streamer discharges to propagate continuously, the background field must be at, or just above, a critical level; and the streamers maintain a constant voltage gradient in the corona sheath. The model simulations are compared with the experimental q-v curves and a reasonable agreement is obtained between them     

Streamer propagation along profiled insulator surfaces

Experimental results on the propagation of positive streamers along contoured, axially symmetric, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) insulation surfaces are presented. A plane parallel electrode configuration provides a substantially uniform electric field for streamer propagation and a point electrode at the ground plane initiates the avalanche process. Basic streamer properties of velocity and propagation probability with field strength are measured and compared with the corresponding characteristics of air and cylindrical insulators. Several insulator profiles are investigated and the occurrence of multiple streamer paths is demonstrated, which are generally distinguishable as surface and air components with different propagation velocities. Comparative data of the breakdown fields for the various insulators is included     

Measurement of streamer charge distribution on an insulator in SF6 Gas

The charge density produced by streamers on an insulator surface in SF₆ has been investigated by using a probe method with a high-speed temporal resolution. Concentric circular probes, which also act as a plane electrode, are used in this probe method. Probe signals are observed oscilloscopically and converted into the charge densities through a numerical calculation. This method reveals the charge distribution before a disturbance caused by the “back discharge.” The charge density thus obtained ranges from several nC/cm² up to about 60 nC/cm². The density depends on the pressure, voltage height and the position of the streamer. The electric field on the insulator is analyzed numerically taking into account the surface charge. The internal electric field of the streamer is found to be 40 ～ 50 kV/cm · atm when the streamer ceases its propagation. However, it partly exceeds the critical one (89 kV/cm · atm) during the propagation.     

Positive Streamer Propagation and Breakdown in Air: the Influence of Humidity

The influence of humidity on streamer propagation at conditions from the threshold for propagation to those for streamer-induced breakdown was investigated in a uniform field in air at atmospheric pressure. Experiments were carried out in a three electrode arrangement consisting of a 12 cm long parallel-plane gap, with an auxiliary needle in the earthed anode. Positive streamers were initiated by applying at the needle electrode a pulse voltage which varied in amplitude. These propagated towards the upper plane electrode which was stressed by a negative dc voltage. Under natural atmospheric conditions, propagation and breakdown probability curves were obtained for several values of absolute humidity in the range between 5 and 22 g/m³. Thus, distributions of the electric field required for streamer propagation and breakdown were obtained and the associated velocity of propagation and time to breakdown were measured. Besides humidity, the amplitude of the voltage used for streamer initiation and the ambient electric field were considered as influencing parameters on streamer properties. Empirical equations are presented expressing the effects of the above parameters on the intrinsic streamer properties. A comparison with previous work in the literature is made and this leads to the conclusion that the influence of humidity on streamer propagation and breakdown can be placed in a sounder quantitative basis.     

Streamer propagation in mineral oil in semi-uniform geometry

Presents a study of streamer propagation in transformer oil, with point-plane and semi-uniform geometry. The latter is made of parallel plane electrodes, with a thin triggering point of calibrated size. By reducing the length of the point, it is possible to move progressively from a point-plane geometry to a quasi uniform geometry. The propagation of streamers is impeded by the presence of a metallic plane behind the triggering point, that reduces the field on propagating streamers. The effect varies widely according to the streamer type considered. The propagation of negative and fast positive streamers is nearly quenched, whereas slower filamentary positive streamers (usually responsible for breakdown in oil) are less affected. This shows that many results obtained in point-plane geometry can not be simply extrapolated to the more realistic case of uniform field     

Thermal processes in a streamer discharge in water

The propagation features of a streamer discharge in water have been investigated. Based on the experimental data obtained in the study of water discharges in a nonuniform electric field, due propagation of streamers is explained as the evaporation of water at the tip of the streamer and around it. The energy balance in the process of the streamer propagation is calculated for a sub-microsecond discharge in distilled water. It is shown that the energy released in the pre-breakdown process is sufficient to evaporate the liquid in the streamer channels. Similar velocity of the streamer propagation in both tap and distilled water substantiates negligible effect of ionic current density onto the streamer propagation process. These estimations, based on experiment, have relevance to the discussion of the nature of the dielectric breakdown of water     

Streamer propagation under impulse voltage in long point-plane oilgaps

A 67 mm point-plane gap immersed in transformer oil, at atmospheric pressure, stressed with a 1/180 μs impulse, has been studied by recording gap current and light emission. Time-resolved images were obtained by use of an image converter camera. Minimum breakdown voltages were twice as high for negative as for positive points. All streamers at these and higher voltages were supersonic, with negative streamer velocities ⩽50 km/s. The speed of the positive streamer gradually increased to 19 km/s with increasing voltage, where it saturated. At high stresses the propagating positive streamer has been observed to switch to a faster mode which propagates with speeds in the 65 to 200 km/s range. Positive streamers were bush shaped to 2× the minimum breakdown voltage, the branching diminishing with increased voltage. Negative streamers were coarsely bush shaped or usually tree shaped. For both polarities, light emission consisted of a background light, with superposed pulses corresponding to 15 ns wide current pulses of up to 10 A. The pulses are caused by very bright, brief re-illuminations of single streamer channels. The tips of positive streamers are considerably more luminous than the channels, indicating that electron multiplication may take place at the tips. A model of the streamers as being plasma filled channels may explain the re-illuminations     

Dynamic observation of needle-plane surface-discharge using theelectro-optical Pockels effect

Dynamic observation of surface charge distribution is the main advantage of the electro-optical Pockels effect technique over the dust figure technique, the photographic Lichtenberg figure technique, and the static potential probe scanning method. This technique is demonstrated here to observe the surface charge distribution deposited by partial discharge during application of one period of an 8 kV sinusoidal voltage to a needle-dielectric plane electrode system with zero gap spacing. Polarity effect and backdischarge are prominent in ac surface discharges. The observed polarity effect in the charge pattern shows that if the dielectric surface is initially free of surface charge, positive `streamer' channels burst out intermittently and radially from the needle tip resulting in a spoke-like surface charge distribution, while negative streamers expand almost uniformly in all radial directions resulting in a nearly circular surface charge distribution. This behavior results in quasi-permanent positive surface charges. Residual negative surface charge from prior discharges has a considerable influence on the trajectory of subsequent positive streamer discharges, i.e. causing deviation of positive streamer channels from the radial direction; whereas residual positive surface charge has little influence on the radial development of surface charge from subsequent negative discharges. This measurement technique has a potential for widespread application in investigating the dynamics of surface charging phenomena