Surface Discharges Inception & Flashover of Solid Insulating Materials with Homogeneous and Inhomogeneous Electrical Fields for Aeronautical Applications

High voltage (> 1 kV) requirements in aerospace applications have raised concerns over the insulation and safety of the interconnected systems. With short gaps, the compact-sized connectors will experience higher electric field stress, resulting in increased discharge activities. Although surface discharges on insulators in dry/contaminated states have been studied for a long time, but this subject has not been comprehensively covered in existing research works in the aerospace domain. The aim is therefore to investigate the surface discharge behavior of a solid dielectric at varying pressures considering the aircraft flying altitudes. An experimental study was conducted by considering the effect of both air pressure and electrode geometry on surface partial discharge inception and flashover voltage. The experimental data were compared with Paschen's curve of air breakdown and IEC 60664-1 recommended values.