Search Results

It is well known that the shape of a conductor in an ambient electric field will act to enhance the maximum field levels and can in fact cause an air breakdown condition. This geometry can also have an effect on the type of breakdown that occurs, for example a corona discharge versus an arc discharge. Hermstein [1] has done an investigation into the conditions necessary for arc propagation instead of corona breakdown for the case of two electrodes with a forced potential between them. He used spherically shaped electrodes and he computed the electric field between them to determine the conditions necessary for arcing to occur as opposed to corona. The purpose of this study is to determine if the Hermstein results apply for the case of a floating electrode, or metal object, immersed in a static electric field.