Modeling of flowing gas discharge – Part I

A physical model of flowing gas discharge is presented. This model extends Townsend's discharge model for static gases to flowing gases and can be applied to a wider range of gas discharge situations and the breakdown laws of flowing gases are analytically solved. The process of modeling reveals that the discharge of flowing gases includes three basic characteristics: the deflection of the major discharge path, the blowing away of some of electrons, and a decrease in gas density. The presented model enables quantitative calculations of the ionization coefficient and breakdown voltage in flowing gases. Comparisons between the present results and the corresponding ones obtained experimentally show good consistency. These results supplement the theory of gas discharge and provide some support for insulation protection in flowing gases.