Conductivity Distribution in Air by Charging Process on Solid Dielectrics under DC Voltage

The enhancement of DC electrical insulation performance is required for the reliable HVDC power equipment and bulk power transmission in recent years. In this paper, we measure the charging process on PMMA in air under DC steady-state and investigate the space distribution of the conductivity in air by using needle-air-PMMA-plane electrode configuration. In order to simulate the space distribution of the conductivity in air under DC steady-state, the charge transport equations in air considering the generation, recombination and motion of positive and negative ions are solved. We calculate the space distribution of the conductivity in air activated by partial discharge. As a result, it is quantitatively estimated that highly conductive area in air with approximately 106 times higher conductivity than the other area is formed along the electric line of force from the needle electrode tip as the source of charge carrier.