On the influence of high voltage slope steepness on breakdown and development of pulsed dielectric barrier discharges

Abstract

The influence of the steepness of the applied high voltage (HV) waveform on the characteristics of pulsed dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) is investigated using a single-filament arrangement with 1 mm gap in 0.1 vol% O2 in N2 at atmospheric pressure. The slope steepness was varied between 75 V ns−1 and 200 V ns−1. The discharge development was recorded with a combined iCCD and streak camera system accompanied by electrical measurements. The analysis was supported by time-dependent, spatially one-dimensional fluid model calculations. A steeper HV slope leads to a higher transferred charge and electrical energy per cycle. The DBD emission structure in the gap features a shorter ‘dark space’ in front of the cathode for steeper HV pulses. The starting velocity of the positive streamer-like propagation at the rising slope of the HV pulses increases with increasing slope steepness, but without influencing the maximal velocity in front of the cathode. At the falling slope, however, smaller propagation velocities for steeper pulses were measured. The modelling results and the measurements of the emission during the pre-phase suggest that the elevated pre-ionisation and higher electrical energy for steeper HV slopes is responsible for most of the observed effects.