Electric field behavior near a contact point in the presence of volume conductivity

The electric field behavior, in particular the field intensification at a contact point, is very important in complex dielectric systems with gaseous or vacuum insulation. The paper describes the electric field behavior at and near a contact point in various arrangements with a zero contact angle when volume conductivity is present in the solid dielectric. Contact conditions are separated into line, point, and surface contact. The effect of volume conductivity is investigated analytically, and numerically by using the boundary element method. The electric field behavior near a contact point principally depends on the absolute value of complex relative permittivity, and volume conductivity usually promotes the field intensification. In the arrangements of point contact or line contact, the position of peak electric field shifts from a contact point when the volume conductivity is higher than a certain value, while in the arrangement of surface contact, the position is usually more or less remote from the contact point, whether volume conductivity is present or not.