Steamer propagation and breakdown time lag in mixtures of cyclohexane and carbon tetrachloride

Abstract

The electrical breakdown phenomena in mixtures of cyclohexane and carbon tetrachloride for point-to-plane gap configuration have been investigated using a microsecond rectangular high-voltage pulse generator. The high speed photography reveals that the aspect of negative streamer development is similar to that of positive one when the mole fraction of carbon tetrachloride is more than 1%. The more precise time lag to breakdown was directly measured from prebreakdown current. The streamer propagation velocity is estimated from the linear relation to formative time lag and gap spacing. The streamer velocity for a negative point in cyclohexane is exceedingly increased by a small amount of carbon tetrachloride as additive, more so than that for a positive point.