Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) dynamic modeling for high voltage insulation

One of the best approaches in order to significantly increase the dielectric strength of an air-insulated system is the creation of an "active" insulation by means of covering some of or all metal conductors with thin layers of solid dielectric (barriers) known as Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD). Charge accumulation on the surfaces of the dielectric layers leads to changes in the electric field distribution and, hence, in the electric loading (potential drop) of the different parts of the insulation system. This paper presents a developed model for charge transfer in homogeneous electrode systems consisting of a gas gap between two parallel-plates. The electron number density and mean electron energy are computed with the drift-diffusion physics. For non-electron species, heavy species transport theory is employed. These equations are coupled with Poisson's equation for computing electric fields affected by temporal and spatial variations of space charges in the system. This model is used to predict the maximum insulation withstand voltage of gas insulated systems with barriers.