Propagation of positive streamers on the surface of shallow as well as deep tap water in wide and narrow dielectric channels

Abstract

The results of experiments studying long-living positive streamers propagating on the surface of tap water are presented; the plasma-forming gas is air at atmospheric pressure. Measurement data for the strength of the longitudinal electric field in the surface streamer, the streamer velocity versus time until it stops, and the length of the streamer versus the applied voltage are presented. It is revealed that the depth of the water in a basin influences the streamer length: the deeper the water, the longer the streamer. Besides this, restricting the transverse direction of the area in the water accessible for streamer extension suppresses streamer branching until it fully disappears. It is shown that non-branching streamers propagating in narrow water channels increase their length considerably. Placing a dielectric plate with long, narrow slits of the required configuration on the water enables one to control the trajectory of streamer propagation. Three-dimensional numerical calculations of the spatial structure of the electric field and the current inside and outside the streamer in the water basin with different depths and widths were made. It is shown numerically that the streamer length and its diameter strongly influence both the strength and spatial structure of the electric field in the air around the streamer.