Characteristics of streamer propagation along insulation surface: quantitative influence of permittivity and surface properties

An investigation into the quantitative influence of permittivity and surface properties on characteristics of streamer propagation along insulation surface was presented. In the three-electrode arrangement, the variation of the streamer stable propagation electric field and streamer propagation velocity along the dielectric materials was measured through three photomultipliers. The measured dielectric materials were consisted of two different dielectric materials with the thickness of 5 mm piled by the side of each other. The influence of the permittivity (the capacitive effect) and the surface properties on the characteristic of streamer propagation along the surface of dielectric materials were obtained by varying the ratio of two material volumes. The streamer propagation velocity and electric field for streamer stable propagation along two combinations of nylon and PTFE, silicone rubber and PTFE were measured, respectively. The conclusion was that the surface properties of dielectric materials had large effect on streamer propagation. Furthermore, surface properties of silicone rubber were most unfavorable for streamer propagation in the three dielectric materials.