Estimation of the energy released during propagating brush discharge

Abstract Propagating brush discharges are highly energetic and pose risks to the control and indicating equipment, hazardous atmosphere and human health. The nature of the PBD poses some difficulties, as one electrode, is non-conductive. Direct measurements of the voltage requires specialized equipment. Presented method uses voltage measurements on a low inductance RC circuit. PBD were also recorded with fast camera at 200 K pps. Some dependencies were observed, e.g. the energy released is usually higher for negative polarity. For chosen PVC test samples (0.2 mm thick), typical energies actually released to the atmosphere were between dozens and hundreds of mJ.