The Development of the Streamer Discharge to Flashover Along the Dielectric Surfaces

The development of the streamer to flashover along the dielectric surfaces was studied in-depth. Three photomultipliers (PMs) were applied to measure the development of streamer discharge to flashover. An intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) camera was used to take photographs of paths and micromorphology of streamer discharge. A digital camera was used to acquire paths of flashover discharge. The researchers found that the criterion of breaking the short gap is whether the secondary streamer crossing the gap can be generated. The micromorphology of streamer discharge along the different dielectric surfaces has significant differences. Furthermore, the streamer discharge is similar to the subsequent flashover with the influence of the applied electric field and the propagation path. It would be more accurate to say the "Stability" fields for flashover propagation increase with that for streamer propagation along the different materials. The propagation path of the subsequent flashover is the same as that of the secondary streamer before the flashover.