Abstract
RECENT work on impregnated cellulosic insulating materials has shown that electrical breakdown under moderate D.C. stress is normally of an electrochemical nature. Leakage current is conveyed by ions originating from slight dissociation of the insulating material or from traces of impurities such as moisture or organic acids. The ions on discharge at the electrodes are in a chemically highly active (nascent) condition and may attack the insulation. The attack at the cathode is by nascent hydrogen and, with some forms of insulation, this has serious consequences.
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References
Egerton, L., and McLean, D. A., Ind. Eng. Chem. (Ind. Edn.), 38, 512 (1946).
Berberich, L. J., and Friedman, R., Ind. Eng. Chem. (Ind. Edn.), 40, 117 (1948).
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CHURCH, H., GARTON, C. Electrical Breakdown of Organic Insulation by Electro-chemical Reactions. Nature 162, 301 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/162301a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/162301a0
