Observations of prebreakdown and breakdown phenomena in liquid hydrocarbons II. Point-plane geometry

Prebreakdown and breakdown phenomena have been measured optically in n-hexane, cyclohexane, isooctane and toluene using a point-plane electrode geometry. The voltage and electrode spacing were adjusted so that breakdown occurred either on the initial high voltage pulse or, in the case of a cathode point, on the positive overshoot following the initial negative pulse. The field strength for breakdown after voltage reversal is about one-third the strength determined using sphere-sphere electrodes and a unipolar pulse. The use of highly purified liquids and the point-plane electrode geometry serves to separate this study from previous ones.