Effect of Atmospheric Air Pressure and Electrode Curvature on Air Breakdown Voltage & Surface Flashover of Solid Dielectric with Same Clearance & Creepage Distances

This paper presents measurements of Surface Partial Discharge Inception Voltage (SPDIV) and Flashover (FOV) Voltage on needle/plan and rod/plane configurations with thin polyimide film Kapton representing 5mm of creepage distance for different air pressure (90 mbar to 1002 mbar). In addition, using the same electrode configurations, Breakdown (BDO) Voltage of air is measured without insulation, and with the same distance between electrodes (clearance distance) for the same air pressure conditions. This study is a contribution for the understanding of the effect of the presence of solid dielectric between electrodes on surface dielectric strength under aeronautical air pressure constraint.