High Voltage

Engineering
Lecture # 5
Breakdown in Air &
Gaseous Dielectric +
Townsend’s Mechanism
Arsalan A Rahim
University of Engineering & Technology
Lahore, Pakistan
 Gaseous Dielectric
• Field Types Based on Uniformity
1. Uniform Field Ui = Ub
2. Weakly Non-Uniform Field Ui = Ub
3. Extremely Non-Uniform Field Ui << Ub

• Field Types Based on Type of Gas

1. Electropositive Gas N2 (cheap)

Gas Molecules try to give up electrons forming positive ions

2. Electronegative Gas SF6, O2, H2

Gas Molecules try to absorb electrons forming negative ions

Air as Dielectric
Largest Percentage
so Air is taken as
Electropositive Gas

Air is taken as the

Model of Discharge
for Gaseous
Dielectric for being
cheap
 Gaseous Dielectric
• Comparison of Electron and Ion
Mass of Electron Compared to that of a Molecule is
Much Lower (approximately 1/1840)

Drift Velocity of an Electron in atmospheric air is

approximately ~ 107 cm/sec

Heavy Ion only moves with a drift velocity of

approximately ~ 105 cm/sec

Ions can therefore be assumed not to have moved from

the place at which they are generated
Ionization (Production of Charge Carriers)
• Production of Charge Carriers from the neutral
gas molecules is known as ionization process
e.g.
Ultra-violet Radiation
Cosmic Rays
Friction and Movement
Electric Field
Corona Discharge
Ion & Photon
Metastable Effects
Energy of an Electron
• Kinetic Energy of an Electron revolving around a
nucleus

• Potential Energy of an Electron depending upon

its charge in the coulomb field of the nucleus of
Molecule
Total Energy of an Electron
• When an Electron gets ejected out of an atom
shell, that is re tends to infinity, the potential
energy of electron tends to be zero

• The binding energy of an electron in its nth shell

to its nucleus is given as
Ionization Energy
• This is the amount of energy required for
releasing an electron from its molecule. It is
known as Ionization Energy WI

• If a free electron is absorbed by a molecule

forming a negative ion, this energy is released
known as “Energy of Recombination”
Collision between Gas Particles

Elastic Collision In-Elastic Collision

(Simple Mechanical Collision) (Simple Mechanical Collision)

Exchange of Some of the Energy

Energies is always is also converted into
Kinetic Potential Energy
Impact Ionization
• α Process (Primary Process)

Ionization by Electron Impact

Impact Ionization
• β Process (Secondary Process)

Ionization by Positive Ion Impact

Townsend’s First Ionization Coefficient
The mean number of ionizing collisions made by a
single electron per centimetre drift across the gap
(in electropositive gas) in a uniform field is denoted
by α defined by Townsends

α = f (E)

Units (cm-1)
Thermal Ionization
If a gas is heated to a very high temperature of the
order of 10,000K and above, the gas atoms or
molecules acquire high velocity to cause ionization
on collision with atoms or molecules.

Thermal Ionization is the principal source of

ionization in flame arcs and to some extend in
leader breakdown channels
Thermal Ionization
Saha Expression for degree of ionization in terms of gas
pressure p and absolute temperature T with the
assumption that under thermodynamic equilibrium
conditions, the rate of new ion formation must be equal to
the rate of recombination.

p is the Pressure in Torr

WI is the Ionization Energy
k is the Boltzmann's Constant (k = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K)
θ is the ration of the number of ionized to total particles
Thermal Ionization

p is the Pressure in Torr

WI is the Ionization Energy
k is the Boltzmann's Constant (k = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K)
θ is the ration of the number of ionized to total particles
Uniform Field with Space Charge

Poisson Equation
Uniform Field with Space Charge

Boundary Conditions

(a) x = 0, ϕ = 0 and K2 = 0

(b) x = d, ϕ = U and K1 = U/d + ρvd/2ε

Uniform Field with Space Charge

Electric Field Intensity

Uniform Field with Space Charge
Electron Avalanche
Electron Avalanche

In a Uniform Field E, α can

be considered constant

α is not constant through the

gap
Electron Avalanche
• In case of very small gap
lengths, the number of
electrons striking the anode
per second is

• On average each electron leaving the cathode

produces (eαd – 1) new electrons and same
number of positive ions
Electron Avalanche
Electron Avalanche

Wilson Cloud Chamber Spark Discharge Chamber

Voltage Pulse
Applied
Electron Avalanche
Electron Avalanche
Today’s Text Covered from Chapter 3 of IEEE
Press Book (Ravindra Book)
Uptil Article 3.2.2