Stabilization of gas-filled surge arrester’s characteristics by use of ionizing radiation

This paper investigates the stabilization of electrical discharges in gases by means of external ionizing radiation. Discharges in a gas-filled surge arrester model were studied in both passive and active regimes of the device. An originally developed model of the gas-filled surge arrester was used. Gas pressure and the interelectrode gap were the variable parameters in our measurements. Applied radiation types included ?-particles, ?-rays, X-rays, and neutrons. Measurements were performed under highly controlled laboratory conditions. The combined measurement uncertainty of the applied procedure was estimated as being under the 5% level. The results obtained are followed by a theoretical explanation. The crucial result is the conclusion that ionizing radiation does not necessarily degrade the gas-filled surge arrester?s functionality but that it, rather, improves it under certain conditions. U radu se razmatra stabilizacija elektricnog praznjenja u gasovima primenom spoljasnjeg jonizujuceg zracenja. Razmatrano je praznjenje modela gasnog odvodnika prenapona u pasivnom i aktivnom radnom rezimu. Koriscen je originalno razvijen model gasnog odvodnika prenapona. Parametri merenja su bili pritisak gasa i medjuelektrodno rastojanje. Primenjeno zracenje je bilo: ?-zracenje, ?-zracenje, X-zracenje i neutronsko zracenje. Merenja su vrsena pod dobro kontrolisanim laboratorijskim uslovima. Kombinovana merna nesigurnost primenjenog postupka procenjena je na manje od 5%. Dobijenim rezultatima je dato teorijsko tumacenje. Osnovni rezultat je da jonizujuce zracenje ne mora nuzno da ogranicava funkciju gasnih odvodnika prenapona, vec da je, pod odredjenim uslovima, poboljsava.