Gas breakdown in atmospheric pressure microgaps with a surface protrusion on the cathode
Abstract
Gas breakdown in atmospheric pressure microgaps with a cathode surface protrusion is highly sensitive to the protrusion geometry. The breakdown voltage is identified when the discharge enters the subnormal region, according to voltage-current curves calculated by a two-dimensional fluid model. The effects of the protrusion size and the aspect ratio on the gap breakdown voltage are examined. It is found that the protrusion size can have a more profound effect on the breakdown voltage than the protrusion's aspect ratio. The breakdown voltage versus the protrusion aspect ratio will show a minimum value if the aspect ratio varies in a wider range. Shrinking the size of cathode protrusion can increase the breakdown voltage faster than enlarging the gap distance in the absence of a protrusion in the same scale. The effect of the aspect ratio of the microgap on the breakdown voltage is also presented.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 18, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.5037688
Entities
People
- John Verboncoeur
- Peng Zhang
- Yangyang Fu
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Michigan State University
- United States Department of Energy