Modelling of streamer discharges in air-filled sub-millimeter needle-plane electrode gaps under fast-rising field conditions

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Wong, T. and Timoshkin, I. and MacGregor, S. and Wilson, M. and Given, M. (2022) Modelling of streamer discharges in air-filled sub-millimeter needle-plane electrode gaps under fast-rising field conditions. In: 14th Universities High Voltage Network Colloquium (UHVnet 2022), 2022-05-23 - 2022-05-24, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

Streamer discharges are fast ionisation fronts generated under intensive electrical stress. They are a crucial stage in the evolution of an electrical breakdown in gas, and also important to a range of industrial applications. In this work, streamers in sub-millimeter needle-plane gaps in atmospheric air and under fast-rising ramp voltages are modelling using a hydrodynamic approach, using the an open-source finite-element framework. The plasma model used in this study is considerably more advanced than before, now including 7 species partaking in 18 total reactions, including photoionisation. The local mean energy approximation was additionally used to ensure validity over a wider range of electric field. The study of streamers in short gaps and fast-rising voltages helps to inform the design and understanding of HV pulsed power systems, including: the design of plasma-closing switches, understanding electrical breakdown in gas-insulated systems in divergent fields, design of HV diagnostics and discharge detection equipment, and the study of the impact of impulsive fields on plasma composition for chemical processing applications.

ORCID iDs

Wong, T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6525-814X, Timoshkin, I. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0380-9003, MacGregor, S. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0808-585X, Wilson, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3088-8541 and Given, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6354-2486;
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