Review of surface flashover theory

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5606808

Anderson, R. A.

Over the past several decades, many researchers have contributed to present understanding of the flashover of electrically stressed insulators in vacuum, and a wealth of theories have been proposed to explain the many surprising attributes of this complex breakdown mechanism. Surface flashover appears to comprise at least two distinct phenomena which can be distinguished as being cathode-initiated or anode-initiated, with the former having received by far the most attention. Several models describing cathode-initiated flashover have been built on the pioneering work of Boersch and coworkers, published in 1963, and credit the breakdown mechanism to the action of an intense secondary-electron-emission avalanche on the insulator surface. Other researchers consider the electron avalanche to be only partially, if at all, responsible, and invoke various hot-carrier effects in the insulator bulk, the surface interfacial region, or in a layer of gas adsorbed on the insulator surface. Anode-initiated flashover, which contends with the cathode-initiated variety for the breakdown of insulators of conventional design, is thought to involve bulk breakdown in a way related to treeing failure. In spite of the considerable effort applied to understanding vacuum surface flashover, no single theory appears capable of explaining all the data, and new and often unexpected observations continue to be made. 42 refs., 6 figs.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/DP
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5606808
• Report Number(s): SAND-89-1276C; CONF-8906200-2; ON: DE90000806
• Resource Relation: Conference: Large area electron beam diode workshop, Monterey, CA (USA), 7 Jun 1989
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
ELECTRICAL INSULATORS
FLASHOVER
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
ACCELERATORS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
DAMAGE
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
ELECTRIC CHARGES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
FAILURES
HVAC SYSTEMS
HVDC SYSTEMS
IONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SHAPE
SURFACES
THEORETICAL DATA
THERMAL ANALYSIS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
VACUUM EVAPORATION
AC SYSTEMS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CURRENTS
DATA
DC SYSTEMS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
EVAPORATION
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POWER SYSTEMS
RADIATIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
420800* - Engineering- Electronic Circuits & Devices- (-1989)
200300 - Electric Power Engineering- Power Transmission & Distribution- (-1989)
430100 - Particle Accelerators- Design
Development
& Operation