Impact of the electrode proximity on the streamer breakdown and development of pulsed dielectric barrier discharges

The impact of the electrode proximity on the streamer breakdown and development of pulsed-driven dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) in a single-filament arrangement has been investigated in a gas mixture of 0.1 vol% O-2 in N-2 at 0.6 bar and 1.0 bar. The gap distance was varied from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, and the applied voltage was adapted correspondingly to create comparable breakdown conditions in the gap. The development of the DBDs was recorded by an iCCD and a streak camera system, while fast electrical measurements provided insight into discharge characteristics such as the transferred charge and consumed energy. The results demonstrate that breakdown in a smaller gap is characterised by a slower streamer propagation but a significantly higher acceleration. It can therefore be concluded that the proximity of the cathode has a strong impact on the characteristics of the streamer breakdown. However, after the streamer has crossed the gap, the discharge structure in front of the anode was found to be the same independent of the actual gap distance.

Automated summary

This study investigates the impact of electrode proximity on the breakdown and development of pulsed-driven dielectric barrier discharges. The results show that a smaller gap distance leads to slower but more accelerated streamer propagation. However, the discharge structure in front of the anode is independent of the actual gap distance once the streamer has crossed the gap.