The Evaluation of the Effect of Charged Particle Concentration on the Breakdown Voltage

Residual charged particles can remain in high-voltage equipment after the extinguishing of an arc discharge caused by a fault. Experience has shown that the voltage required for reignition can be significantly lower than the initial ignition voltage. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which residual ionization in the air gap affects the reignition voltage. The dependence of the breakdown voltage on the initial concentration of charged particles is estimated using both analytical calculations and numerical simulations of discharge ignition in a one-dimensional drift-diffusion model. The self-sustained discharge ignition criterion is used as the breakdown condition. Both models show qualitative agreement, indicating that as the initial particle concentration increases, the reignition voltage initially decreases, reaching a minimum value, and then begins to rise. The latter effect is associated with an increase in both the layer thickness and the particle concentration.