Comparison of coplanar and surface barrier discharges operated in oxygen–nitrogen gas mixtures

Abstract The characteristics of the surface barrier discharge (SBD) and the coplanar barrier discharge (CBD) operated in nitrogen–oxygen gas mixtures are investigated. The measurements of the electrode current and voltage are performed for an excitation frequency of typically 3 kHz and a discharge voltage of typically 3 and 10 kV for SBD and CBD, respectively. For all oxygen percentages over 15%, the partial discharges (PD) carry much more charge for SBD than for CBD. For pure nitrogen the PD is longer and carries more charge for CBD than for SBD.