Positive- and negative-pulsed streamer discharges generated by a 100-ns pulsed-power in atmospheric air

Abstract

A Blumlein generator that has a pulsewidth of 100 ns was used to investigate the process of streamer discharge propagation in a coaxial cylindrical reactor using a streak camera. Both positive and negative polarities of the streamer discharges were performed in air at atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the primary and secondary streamers propagated with increasing velocity from the central rod to the outer cylinder electrode in both positive and negative polarities of applied voltages to the rod electrode. The propagation velocity of the streamer heads was in the range of 0.8-1.2 mm/ns for a positive peak applied voltage in the range of 43-60 kV and 0.6 mm/ns for a negative peak applied voltage of -93 kV, respectively. The electric field at streamer onset was calculated to be 12 and 20 MV/m for positive and negative applied voltages, respectively. © 2007 IEEE.