A Comparative Study of Positive and Negative Streamer Development along an Ice Surface

Development of negative and positive streamers along an ice surface in short rod-plane gaps has been investigated experimentally and compared. Major characteristics of streamers including inception voltage, propagation velocity, breakdown voltage, time to breakdown and light emitted during their development are studied. Results showed that these characteristics are largely influenced by the voltage polarity under same experimental conditions. In negative polarity, it was found that the propagation velocity and the time to breakdown are significantly higher and the voltage required to initiate the streamer is lower. It was also found that the influence of the ice surface properties is more intense in negative polarity. High-speed camera recordings also showed different processes in the discharge development for negative and positive polarities.