Integrated modeling of vacuum flashover development: above-surface
processes and breakdown threshold analyses
Abstract
The flashover in vacuum is a rapid interfacial discharge across the
insulator surface when subjected to high applied voltage. Here a
theoretical model covering above-surface processes is introduced. The
model calculates the flashover threshold in vacuum, with revised
secondary electron emission avalanche theory and improved desorbed
neutral transport model. The model serves as the first part of an
integrated flashover model, aiming for consistent treatment of both
above-surface and subsurface processes during the entire flashover
development. The flashover threshold is obtained by combining the
desorbed neutral pressure at given applied voltage and the gas breakdown
criterion dictated by the Paschenâ\euro™s law. An analytical formula
for threshold estimation containing physical parameters, and a
simplified formula consisting of empirical coefficients are introduced,
catering for both conceptual understanding and practical application.
The derived formulae are validated by experimental data for a variety of
insulator materials. The theory generalization for nonuniform electric
field distribution is further discussed.