Electrical breakdown or dielectric breakdown is a rapid reduction in the resistance of
an electrical insulator when the voltage applied across it exceeds the breakdown voltage.
This results in a portion of the insulator becoming electrically conductive.
Electrical breakdown may be a momentary event, or may lead to a continuous arc discharge
if protective devices fail to interrupt the current in a high power circuit.
Under sufficient electrical stress, electrical breakdown can occur within solids, liquids,
gases or vacuum.
However, the specific breakdown mechanisms are significantly different for each, particularly
in different kinds of dielectric medium.
Failure of electrical insulation Electrical breakdown is often associated with
the failure of solid or liquid insulating materials used inside high voltage transformers
or capacitors in the electricity distribution grid, usually resulting in a short circuit
or a blown fuse.
Electrical breakdown can also occur across the insulators that suspend overhead power
lines, within underground power cables, or lines arcing to nearby branches of trees.
Mechanism Electrical breakdown occurs within a gas when
the dielectric strength of the gas is exceeded.
Regions of high electrical stress can cause nearby gas to partially ionize and begin conducting.
This is done deliberately in low pressure discharges such as in fluorescent lights or
in an electrostatic precipitator.
Partial electrical breakdown of the air causes the "fresh air" smell of ozone during thunderstorms
or around high-voltage equipment.
Although air is normally an excellent insulator, when stressed by a sufficiently high voltage,
air can begin to break down, becoming partially conductive.
If the voltage is sufficiently high, complete electrical breakdown of the air will culminate
in an electrical spark or an electric arc that bridges the entire gap.
While the small sparks generated by static electricity may barely be audible, larger
sparks are often accompanied by a loud snap or bang.
Lightning is an example of an immense spark that can be many miles long.
The color of the spark depends upon the gases that make up the gaseous media.
If a fuse or circuit breaker fails to interrupt the current through a spark in a power circuit,
current may continue, forming a very hot electric arc.
The color of an arc depends primarily upon the conductor materials.
The free ions in and around the arc recombine to create new chemical compounds.
Ozone is most easily noticed due to its distinct odour.
Although sparks and arcs are usually undesirable, they can be useful in everyday applications
such as spark plugs for gasoline engines, electrical welding of metals, or for metal
melting in an electric arc furnace.
The vacuum itself is expected to undergo electrical breakdown at or near the Schwinger limit.
Voltage-current relation Before gas breakdown, there is a non-linear
relation between voltage and current as shown in the figure.
In region 1, there are free ions that can be accelerated by the field and induce a current.
These will be saturated after a certain voltage and give a constant current, region 2.
Region 3 and 4 are caused by ion avalanche as explained by the Townsend discharge mechanism.
Corona breakdown Partial breakdown of the air occurs as a corona
discharge on high voltage conductors at points with the highest electrical stress.
As the dielectric strength of the material surrounding the conductor determines the maximum
strength of the electric field the surrounding material can tolerate before becoming conductive,
conductors that consist of sharp points, or balls with small radii, are more prone to
causing dielectric breakdown.
Corona is sometimes seen as a bluish glow around high voltage wires and heard as a sizzling
sound along high voltage power lines.
Corona also generates radio frequency noise that can also be heard as "static" or buzzing
on radio receivers.
Corona can also occur naturally at high points during thunderstorms as St. Elmo's Fire.
Although corona discharge is usually undesirable, until recently it was essential in the operation
of photocopiers and laser printers.
Many modern copiers and laser printers now charge the photoconductor drum with an electrically
conductive roller, reducing undesirable indoor ozone pollution.
Additionally, lightning rods use corona discharge to create conductive paths in the air that
point towards the rod, deflecting potentially-damaging lightning away from buildings and other structures.
Corona discharge ozone generators have been used for more than 30 years in the water purification
process.
Ozone is a toxic gas, even more potent than chlorine.
In a typical drinking water treatment plant, the ozone gas is dissolved into the filtered
water to kill bacteria and viruses.
Ozone also removes the bad odours and taste from the water.
The main advantage of ozone is that the overdose decomposes to gaseous oxygen well before the
water reaches the consumer.
This is in contrast with chlorine which stays in the water and can be tasted by the consumer.
Corona discharges are also used to modify the surface properties of many polymers.
An example is the corona treatment of plastic materials which allows paint or ink to adhere
properly.
Disruptive devices
A disruptive device is designed to electrically overstress a dielectric beyond its dielectric
strength so as to intentionally cause electrical breakdown of the device.
This results in the sudden transition of a portion of the dielectric from an insulating
state to a highly conductive state.
This transition is characterized by the formation of an electric spark, possibly followed by
an electric arc through part of the dielectric material.
If the dielectric happens to be a solid, permanent physical and chemical changes along the path
of the discharge will significantly reduce the material's dielectric strength, and the
device can only be used one time.
However, if the dielectric material is a liquid or gas, the dielectric can fully recover its
insulating properties once current through the plasma channel has been externally interrupted.
Commercial Spark gaps use this property to abruptly switch high voltages in pulsed power
systems, to provide surge protection for telecommunication and electrical power systems, and ignite fuel
via spark plugs in many internal combustion engines.
See also Diffusion-limited aggregation
Measurement Comparative Tracking Index
Discharges Electrostatic discharge, corona discharge,
Partial discharge, Avalanche breakdown, Glow discharge, Direct current discharge, Lichtenberg
figure, Electrical treeing, Townsend discharge, Arc Flash Paschen's law
Ignition coil, Oudin coil, Induction coil, Tesla coil
People Nikola Tesla, Nikolay Semyonov, Robert J.
Van de Graaff References