A study of initial negative discharge growth using video camera and frame store

Abstract

A video camera and a video frame store were used to record negative discharge growth in liquid dielectrics. The initiation of the discharge and its transition through the instability region were investigated. Viscosity is shown to be an important parameter in liquid-dielectric breakdown. Highly viscous materials can be effectively immobile over the short times (several microseconds) involved in streamer initiation and growth, and it is found that discharges in such systems may show similarities to those observed in plastics.<>