Electrical breakdown in low-pressure propane-oxygen flames with SF/sub 6/ and air buffers

A technique is described for investigating electrical breakdown in gases added to the highly reactive, high-temperature (2500 to 2800 K) environments of C/sub 3/H/sub 8//O/sub 2/ flames at subatmospheric pressures. Some of the characteristics of low-pressure flames are mentioned, the flame apparatus is described, and measurements are presented of breakdown voltage as a function of pressure (and of the product of pressure and electrode separation) in C/sub 3/H/sub 8//O/sub 2/ flames with SF/sub 6/ and air as buffer gases. The measured results show that the dependence on electrode polarity is far stronger for the case of the SF/sub 6/ buffer.<
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