Effects of a barrier on creeping discharge characteristics in SF6 and N2 gases under pulse voltages

Abstract

This paper describes the effect of a barrier on creeping discharge characteristics in SF6, N2, and their mixtures. The barrier height effect on the discharge voltage was investigated under a positive pulse voltage. The discharge voltage increased with increasing barrier height in SF6 gas. On the other hand, the discharge voltage hardly changed with the barrier height in N2 gas. In order to clarify the mechanism of the initial creeping corona, it was observed by optical techniques, including an ultra-high-speed electronic imaging system (IMACON 468). The creeping corona path revealed differences in images at various barrier heights. The accumulated charge induced on the barrier by the initial corona in SF6 gas was able to suppress the development of the later creeping corona, in contrast with N2 gas. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 125(4): 1–8, 1998