Surface charge accumulation in a dielectric-covered electrode system in air

This paper's focus is an experimental study of the charging process in a plane-parallel disc shaped electrode system during applications of unipolar impulse voltages. Discharge current measurements together with surface charge assessments during single impulse as well as sequence of impulses of both polarities, and at various air gap widths are presented. The objective was to quantify the distribution of electric field in the combined dielectric structure in order to evaluate the general applicability of the method. Experimentally obtained results are compared with predictions from theoretical models.