大气压空气中同轴介质阻挡放电微放电特性

为了更好的利用和研究介质阻挡放电技术,探讨了研究较少的同轴介质阻挡等离子体反应器的放电特性。因该类反应器2个介质阻挡层结构不一致,导致微放电行为在高频高压电源的正弦波电压的正、负半周内特点不同。研究从其放电的等效电路模型,流注放电击穿机理,以及在大气压空气中的放电实验等方面进行。结果表明,大气压下放电间隙8mm反应器时,放电电流波形在外加电源电压的正负半周期内不对称;分别呈现出明显的“似辉光放电”和“丝状放电”特点,单个微放电电流脉冲宽度约50ns,与外加电源电压极性和频率无关。     

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     

Electron avalanches. I. Statistics of partial microdischarges in their pre-streamer stage

Three kinds of statistical distributions of DC microdischarges in homogeneous electric field are discussed. So far the exponential and streamer distributions have been considered as regular statistics describing microdischarge electron avalanches with low (n~<10/sup 5/) and high (n~>10/sup 8/) average carrier populations, respectively. The distributions of avalanches with intermediate populations n~/spl epsi/(10/sup 5/, 10/sup 8/) that exhibit peculiar convex shapes have not been considered as regular distributions so far. They have been regarded as an experimental artefacts causing deviations from the regular exponential law. On the basis of refined experiments we argue for a new interpretation of those peculiar distribution curves. They have proved to be independent of the remaining two regular statistics and manifest a new distribution law well approximated by the Pareto distribution. The basic physics underlying this separate statistical distribution is intimately related to the inner space charges formed inside the avalanches with higher carrier populations. The inner space charges that modify the local intensity of the electric field and result in redistribution of populations and manifestation of a new statistical behavior.     

Using the UHF technique to investigate PD produced by defects insolid insulation

The partial discharges produced by internal defects in solid insulation have been investigated using the ultra high frequency (UHF) technique. The work has shown that the discharges produced by a virgin cavity generate a UHF signal that may be detected using this UHF technique. The discharges are observed as a series of UHF pulses that occur less frequently as time progresses. The reduction in the number of UHF pulses has been attributed to a progressive change from the streamer discharge mechanism, that is observed with a virgin cavity, to the Townsend mechanism, which occurs when the cavity has been exposed to prolonged discharge activity. It also has been shown that the discharges associated with tree formation generate a detectable UHF signal. The paper describes a method of distinguishing between the streamer discharges and the discharges that cause treeing     

介质阻挡放电的放电过程仿真研究

为深入地理解介质阻挡放电(DBD)的放电机理和实现DBD等离子体的大规模工业应用,采用基于连续性方程和泊松方程的DBD模型仿真研究了大气压空气中DBD的放电过程,计算得到放电空间的电子密度、电场强度和电压电流随时间变化的规律,讨论了阻挡介质在DBD放电不同阶段的作用。仿真结果表明,DBD的微放电过程可分为电子崩、流注和放电熄灭3个连续的阶段。在电子崩和流注阶段间,阻挡介质主要起到加速流注形成的作用;而在放电熄灭阶段,阻挡介质主要起到限制放电电流的自由增长,从而阻止放电发展到电弧的作用。     

Positive streamer discharges along liquid dielectric surfaces: effect of dielectric constant and surface properties

This paper presents investigations on positive streamer discharges propagating in air along the surface of two nonmixing dielectric liquids. By measuring the currents associated with the streamer discharge propagating along the surface of the two nonmixing liquids for varying ratio of their volume, we analyzed the effect of the dielectric constant (the capacitive effect) and the surface properties. Especially, we separated and quantified the magnitude of each contribution. Two different combinations were studied: silicone oil together with glycerol and transformer oil together with glycerol. For these material combinations, we found that the influence of the dielectric constant is about 3 times larger than the effect of the surface properties. Further, by using a simple model of the streamer discharge, we determined with a 3D field calculation program the capacitive behavior of the two nonmixing dielectric materials for varying ratio of their volume. We found that, in order to obtain the observed capacitive dependence, the streamer must propagate literally on the insulator surface.     

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     

Streamer discharges in liquids and their applications

Industrial applications using pulsed power technologies have been developed in many fields. One of them is the treatment of exhaust gas by using uniformly produced streamer discharges. Streamer discharges in liquid also generate extremely high electric fields at the tip of streamers, as well as high energy electrons, ozone, other chemically active species, ultraviolet rays and shock waves. All of these may be utilized to sterilize microorganisms and to decompose molecules and materials. Large-volume streamer discharges in water have been produced in order to realize industrial applications. A wire to plane electrode configuration has been used. The discharge in water shows similar optical radiation to that in an atmospheric gas as provided by evidence from still photographs. The influence of polarity, conductivity, electrode geometry and hydrostatic pressure on the streamers in liquid, the mechanism of streamer discharges and possible industrial applications of streamers in liquids, are discussed in the present work     

长间隙放电流注发展的新的计算模型

基于光电子理论推导出一种新的流注发展计算模型，它能仿真长间隙放电中正流注发展的全过程。与同类模型相比，该模型不但能描述一次流注的起始和发展，而且能对一次流注熄灭后，暗期中空间电荷的迁移与扩散，以至二次流注的发生和发展作定量计算。为验证计算程序的正确性，使用李庭博尘粉图对某些给定电压下流注发展长度的实验值与计算值进行了比较。同时还引用了有关文献中的数据来验证计算结果，经比较发现该计算程序是可行的。     

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     

Pulse measurements using LED in dielectric liquids under impulsevoltages

Current pulses, in the form of partial discharges, are known to be precursors of electrical breakdown in dielectric liquids. The precise measurement of these pulses is of great value for the understanding of the breakdown mechanism. The measurement of current pulses under impulse voltage is very difficult when using conventional electrical measurement systems. To overcome this difficulty, a novel measuring system using fiber optics and a light emitting diode (LED) has been developed. In this paper, the improvements in time response and charge sensitivity of such a LED current-pulse measurement system are described. Using this system and a high speed shadow-graph assembly under impulse conditions, the current pulse and the streamer initiation in dielectric liquids are measured simultaneously     

Computer modeling of interaction of gas discharge plasma with solid dielectric barriers

A computer model describing charge transfer in a system consisting of two parallel-plate metallic electrodes covered with solid dielectric barriers immersed in gas medium is proposed. The material of the barriers is supposed to be a non-ideal insulator whose properties correspond to polyethylene and air is considered as a gas phase. The model is based on continuity equations for fluxes of charge carriers and accounts for their drift and diffusion and also for different sources of their generation and losses in different media. The continuity equations are coupled with Poisson's equation for computing electric fields affected by temporal and spatial variations of space charges in the system. Results of the computer simulations are obtained for the case when the applied field in the gas exceeds its breakdown threshold, i.e. charge transfer in the gas phase takes place in the form of an electrical discharge (electron avalanche and streamer). Evolution of generated discharge plasma is analyzed taking into account conditions on gas-solid interfaces and in the bulk of the solid dielectric barriers.     

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.     

Characteristics of laser-triggered electric discharges in air

An experiment of laser-triggered electric discharges has been conducted in a uniform background electric field. By focusing the beam of a pulsed Nd-YAG laser (wavelength 532 nm, pulse duration 5 ns) in a narrow (15 mm) plane-parallel air gap exposed to a DC voltage, streamer discharges and disruptive discharges were triggered. The laser energy and the background electric field strength were varied in the ranges 0-180 mJ and 0.8-1.4 MV/m, respectively, and the laser plasma was induced either close to the anode, close to the cathode or mid-gap. From images of the electrode gap and from current measurements, the occurrence of and time to the streamer discharge and the disruptive discharge were determined. No distinct level was found of either the laser energy or the plasma energy for the transition from one discharge case to another, even if the general trend was that the energy required for a certain discharge case was reduced when increasing the background electric field. These and other observations make the method of laser triggering a less suitable method for studies of streamer initiation and streamer propagation, but revealed several interesting features of laser-triggered electric discharges.     

Propagation and structure of streamers in liquid dielectrics

Our purpose is to present a critical review of the current understanding of streamer propagation in dielectric liquids in order to help define the direction of future research. We show that the molecular structure has a significant effect on streamer propagation. The main parameter affecting propagation is the electronic affinity of the liquid molecules     

Influence of humidity on current waveform and light emission of alow-frequency discharge controlled by a dielectric barrier

The aim of this work is to determine the effect of humidity on a silent discharge in air. A point to plane configuration has been used. Current and emission spectra of the discharge have been recorded in dry and humid air for short and long inter-electrode gaps and with the plane electrode coated by a silicone rubber plate alone or under a polypropylene film. Results show the typical corona discharge regimes. For a long gap, humidity decreases the number of breakdown streamer pulses. For a short gap, the behavior observed depends on the surface conduction of the dielectric in contact with the discharge. These results show that the presence of humidity in the discharge cell not only modifies the gas but also the surface states of the dielectrics coating the electrodes. The surface charge decay appears as a major parameter, since it is related to the local field value which results from the applied field and the reverse field induced by charge accumulation during previous discharges     

Influence of molecular structure on propagation of positive streamer discharge in dielectric liquids

In this paper, streamer discharges in dielectric liquids which have various molecular structures, such as a double bond or a triple bond in the molecular formula, are observed in detail for positive point polarity under the application of an impulse voltage to the point electrode. As test liquids, four straight‐chain hydrocarbon liquids—n‐hexane, n‐heptane, n‐octane, and n‐decane—are selected and in addition the influence of a double or triple bond included in their molecular formula on the propagation of positive streamers is investigated in detail by simultaneously using a high‐speed schlieren method and an LED current measurement system. Some differences in the mean propagation velocity and the propagation shape of positive streamers are evident. Their shape is mainly filamentary in test liquids including a double or triple bond. Also, positive streamer propagation is promoted in these liquids. It is thought that this is due to the effect of π bonds which have smaller bond energies than σ bonds. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 149(1): 15–21, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10366     

Electric field measurement just beneath a surface discharge by optical‐waveguide pockels sensors

Although surface discharges are one of the principal kinds of phenomena associated with faults in electrical apparatus, they have not yet been fully elucidated. Electric field measurements in and around a corona streamer during the creeping advance of a surface discharge are very helpful in analyzing discharges. Pockels crystals have been used in the optical measurement of electric fields, and an optical waveguide technique has been successfully used to miniaturize the sensors. Electric field measurements are made just beneath a surface discharge with an optical waveguide Pockels sensor installed on a PMMA plate and output signals expressing the development of the discharge are obtained. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 145(2): 28–34, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10185     

Streamer current in a three-electrode system

A study has been conducted on positive streamer discharges in air at atmospheric conditions for a three-electrode system, The electrode system consisted of two parallel planes (one grounded and one supplied with a negative dc voltage) and a small, insulated needle, sticking out from the center of the grounded plane. A triggering positive square impulse voltage of 5 μs duration was applied to the insulated needle and the currents associated with the streamer discharge were measured simultaneously on all three electrodes. During the streamer propagation, the current measured at the needle was the conduction current while the other two were the displacement (or capacitive) currents generated by the movement of charge in the electrode gap. The objective of this study is to identify the three currents and to investigate if simple representations of the streamer can reproduce the displacement currents measured at the plane electrodes. Two models for the streamer were applied: (1) a charged sphere moving in the background field and (2) a channel with a constant voltage gradient extending in the gap. In both models it was assumed that the streamer propagated with a constant velocity, which was estimated from the measurements. The motion of the streamer was simulated by a series of electrostatic calculations, using a field calculation program. Comparison of the measurements with the simulations indicates that the charge of the streamer is confined to a spherical region (i.e. streamer head) and it is increasing continuously during its advancement in the electrode gap. A discussion on advantages and disadvantages with the two investigated models (sphere vs. channel with potential gradient) is conducted, and a possible hybrid model is suggested. In the proposed model, features from both considered streamer representations are included     

On the existence of leader discharges in mineral oil

Time-resolved pictures of discharges with simultaneous recording of predischarge currents have been obtained in different oil gaps under impulse voltage of positive polarity. It has been stated that in certain experimental conditions, a process similar to the leader process in air occurs, with the typical features of a leader channel and a streamer zone