Modelling of current and temperature rise during discharge initiation in water

Authors :: P. Adda
Nadia Boussetta
R. Hanna
Eugène Vorobiev
Olivier Lesaint
Laboratoire de Génie Electrique de Grenoble (G2ELab)
Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019])
Source :: IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2018, 25 (5), pp.1974-1979
Publication Year :: 2018
Publisher :: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2018.
Abstract: The conduction current recorded when a high voltage impulse is applied to a rod-plane gap containing water is modelled. The electro/thermal model considers the coupling between electric field, Joule dissipation, temperature rise, and variation of liquid resistivity with temperature. A fairly good agreement between current measurements and calculations are obtained. The model also shows the evolution of temperature and field distributions in the gap versus time. The calculated average temperatures appear insufficient to explain liquid boiling. Boiling can be explained by considering the influence of local surface defects. Values of the bubble pressure at discharge ignition are evaluated, with the hypothesis that discharges occur in vapor following Paschen's law.