PROPAGATION VELOCITY AND PHOTOEMISSION INTENSITY OF A LOCAL DISCHARGEON AN ELECTROLYTIC SURFACE

An electrolytic solution surface was used to simulate the surface of w et polluted insulators, A local discharge propagates on the solution s urface when an impulse voltage is applied to the surface. The intensit y of photoemission from the tip of the local discharge, the propagatio n velocity of the local discharge, and the discharge current were meas ured simultaneously. It was found that the propagation velocity increa ses with the photoemission intensity and the resistivity of the soluti on, and the influence of the air pressure and the applied voltage wave form on the velocity is very small. Furthermore, it was deduced that t he ratio of the current through the local discharge tip to the total d ischarge current is not influenced by the local discharge length and t he applied voltage waveform.