Experimental Investigation on Measurement of Spark Discharge Energy Using Integration Method

Abstract Minimum ignition energy is an important characteristics of dust cloud. Accurate determination of minimum ignition energy is significant for dust explosion prevention. According to EC 6124-2-3, when nominal energy is great than 100 mJ, the spark energy is recommended to be determined by integration of voltage and current with time. However, few experimental investigations were reported on the determination of spark discharge energy using integration method. Spark discharge experiments were carried out for different nominal energies, which were ranged from 63 mJ to1271 mJ. Tektronix oscillograph was used to record the dynamic voltage and current between the discharge gap during spark discharge. The period characteristics of the LC discharge circuit were calculated, and experimental period agreed with theoretical periods. The ratios of discharge energies measured using integration method to the nominal energies stored in the capacitors (discharge efficiency) were investigated. It was found that, when nominal energy is in the range of 63mJ∼1271 mJ, the discharge efficiency varies from 75.4% to 24.5%.