Numerical investigation of the optimal characteristics of a transverse layer of dielectric barrier in a non-uniform electric field

Abstract

A numerical equation to satisfy the effect of the transverse layer of a dielectric barrier located at a non-uniform electric field distribution resulting from a rod-to-plane gap configuration is presented. The accuracy of the presented numerical model has been investigated using a simulation model with the concept of finite element method. The investigation of the proposed numerical equation for studying the optimum location of the transverse layer of different dielectric barrier materials in a non-uniform field configuration has been assessed using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The effects of varying the barrier permittivity, position, and thickness on the electric field maximum values are introduced. The proposed numerical model effectiveness has been validated and evidenced by the good agreement between the simulated results and the proposed equation. The per cent error between the proposed numerical and the simulated models is less than 2.74%. The results show that, a thin insulating barrier that have low relative permittivity of the studied materials at 20% of the air gap, leads to a considerable increase in the value required for the breakdown voltage. Finally, from the numerical and simulation investigations regarding to the maximum electric field value, the barrier optimum thickness was found to be 1mm.