Streamer formation in perfluoropolyether under impulse conditions

A family of perfluorinated fluids that recently has become available, called perfluoropolyethers, contain oxygen in addition to fluorine and carbon and are potentially interesting as electrical insulating fluids. A study of their behavior under electrical pulse conditions is reported. Under the prevailing nonuniform field conditions, the breakdown voltage was lower when the needle was a cathode than when it was an anode. The streamer structures and their inception voltages are studied in some detail. The effect of pressure on the streamer structure is evaluated.< >