Influence of gap spacing on the characteristics of Trichel pulse generated in point-to-plane discharge gaps

In this paper, the specific characteristics of the Trichel pulse generated in wide point-to-plane discharge gaps are investigated and compared with those of the currents generated in narrow gaps. A set of empirical formulas are derived to describe the specific characteristics. The influence of the gap spacing both on the current characteristics and on the coefficients of the formulas is studied. Based on the experiment results, an improvement is made to the space charge calculation method proposed by Lama and Gallo [J. Appl. Phys. 45, 103-113 (1974)] and the calculation results are compared to the ones obtained with Lama and Gallo's original method. With the influence of the space charge considered, the modified method obtains more accurate results of the space charge accumulating in the gap and gives a more precise description of the motion of the space charge in the gap. Based on the calculation results, the influence of the space charge on the distribution of the electric field is examined and the influence of the gap spacing on the current characteristics is also studied. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.