Diagnostic of the self-healing of metallized polypropylene film by modeling of the broadening emission lines of aluminum emitted by plasma discharge

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2005 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1858872· OSTI ID:20668220

Tortai, J -H; Bonifaci, N; Denat, A; Trassy, C ^[1]

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1. Laboratoire d'Electrostatique et de Materiaux Dielectriques, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Joseph Fourier University, 25 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble (France)

Metallized-film capacitors have the property, even under high continuous voltage, to self-heal i.e., to clear a defect in the dielectric. The self-healing process is a consequence of a transient arc discharge. It has been previously shown that during the discharge, due to Joule effect, the metal is vaporized until the arc extinguishes. The discharge duration has been found to be inversely proportional to the mechanical pressure applied on the layers of metallized films making up a capacitor. The aim of this study is to understand the physical processes involved in this spontaneous extinction of the arc discharge. Emission spectroscopy has been used to provide information about the physical properties (temperatures, electronic and neutral particles densities, etc.) of the plasma induces by a self-healing. An analysis, based on the broadenings and shifts of Al atomic lines, of the experimental light spectra obtained has shown that the self-healing process leads to the generation, from the vaporized metal, of a high-density and relatively weakly ionized aluminum plasma. The plasma density increases with the pressure applied on the film layers and, consequently, the density power needed to extend the plasma zone increases as well and the arc discharge goes out faster as experimentally observed.

• OSTI ID: 20668220
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 97, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.1858872; (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALUMINIUM
CAPACITORS
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
ION TEMPERATURE
LAYERS
NEUTRAL PARTICLES
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
POLYPROPYLENE
POWER DENSITY
SIMULATION
THIN FILMS
VISIBLE SPECTRA