Search

Streamers initiated in point-plane electrode geometry under impulse voltage are studied. Characterization up to 30 kV in both polarities shows two streamer types. In negative polarity, only slow `bush-like' streamers with a velocity of about 100 m s-1 are observed. In positive polarity, both `bush-like' and filamentary streamers appear. Positive `bush-like' streamers have similar velocity as in negative polarity, whereas filamentary streamers have a propagation velocity up to 30 km s-1. This high velocity is correlated to large transient current and light emission. Spectroscopic study of the light emitted by filaments shows mainly the second positive system of nitrogen. This system allows us to estimate the gas temperature inside a filament by making a comparison with a numerically simulated spectrum. A temperature close to 500 K is found. Dilution of hydrogen gas in liquid nitrogen allows us to determine also the electron density by Stark broadening of the Balmer Hα line. An electron density of about 1.1018 cm-3 is found.

This paper presents an experimental study on the influence of an aromatic additive (pyrene) on the propagation of positive filamentary streamers and breakdown in liquid cyclohexane. Experiments are carried out in point-plane gaps up to 5 cm over a wide voltage range. With pyrene, the propagation is facilitated, and thus the breakdown voltage is lowered in point-plane geometry. Streamers also become very branched, and a much larger number of filaments propagate than in pure cyclohexane. Correlated to this, a large increase of the inception voltage of fast streamers (acceleration voltage) is observed at high voltage. This fact can be explained by macroscopic electrostatic properties of streamers, which depend on their geometrical structure. When more and more filaments propagate at high voltage they shield each other, which in turn limits their tip field (and thus velocity) at a nearly constant value over a large voltage range. The propagation velocity is thus not only determined by microscopic processes at the filament heads. Consequently, it does not always constitute an adequate parameter to directly appreciate and compare microscopic propagation processes. A discussion about streamer mechanisms is also presented.

This paper presents a study of the dynamics of positive streamer filaments in pentane using an optical method described in the text for pressures up to 9 MPa. It is observed that filaments expand and collapse, in a similar way to cavitation bubbles. Good agreement with the Rayleigh model shows that the dynamics of filaments is determined by liquid inertia. The influence of electric forces (electrostatic pressure) on the dynamics is found to be negligible. An evaluation of the energies involved shows that filaments are mainly composed of vapour, whose pressure varies with time and space and is on average higher than the hydrostatic pressure. Vaporization results mainly from energy dissipated at the filament extremity, which may be compared to a propagating point heat source of about 10 W power. At low pressure, a significant influence of energy dissipation within the filament, attributed to the transient current flowing during propagation, is also observed. At high pressure and/or high voltage, the stopping of the streamer is due to collapse of the gaseous filaments.

In this first part, the gaseous nature of filamentary positive streamers is demonstrated by the influence of hydrostatic pressure on their propagation in cyclohexane and pentane up to 7 MPa. At a fixed voltage, when the pressure is increased, the propagation velocity is found to be constant whereas the stopping length of streamers is greatly reduced. Correlated to this effect, the duration of transient currents and light emission signals is reduced. These effects are discussed in terms of the hypothesis that the conductivity of the streamer results from a gas discharge mechanism occurring within the filaments. These results constitute the experimental basis on which a study of the filament dynamics has been developed (part II).

This paper presents an experimental study of the inception of positive streamers in point-to-plane geometry under pulsed voltage. The different pre-breakdown events (slow and filamentary streamers) are characterized via sensitive transient current recordings, obtained using a new differential measurement technique described in the text. The roles of the tip radius, voltage pulse rise time, gap distance and hydrostatic pressure are systematically investigated in two liquids, cyclohexane and pentane. We found two parameters to characterize inception of both streamer types in a liquid: a unique initiation field for slow and filamentary streamers (depending slightly on the point tip radius of curvature); and a threshold propagation voltage for filamentary streamers (depending on the gap distance). There is also a critical point-tip radius above which no slow streamers are observed. It is shown that the initiation field and the propagation threshold can be accurately determined only in very specific conditions, namely below the critical point-tip radius and with fast rise time voltage impulses (about 10 ns). The presence of a gaseous phase in the initiation process is identified via the influence of hydrostatic pressure. Finally, the significance of the critical point-tip radius and that of the propagation voltage of filamentary streamers are discussed by comparison between the streamer and a conducting filament.