Effects of a Charged Metallic Particle of Milli-size on DC Sparkover Voltages

Abstract

Effects of a charged metallic particle of milli-size on sparkover characteristics under dc quasi-uniform gap of 2 cm long in atmospheric air. The results show that the sparkover voltage depends on the position and charging of the sphere particle of 0.1 or 0.2 cm in diameter along the gap axis. Ions generated by natural radiation in the gap lead to charge the metallic particle and contribute significantly to the sparkover voltage depending on the humidity in air. With the high humidity, the particle is quickly charged and the sparkover voltage falls in lower than half of the voltage without the metallic particle.