| This thesis addresses the problems associated with measuring and predicting the energy liberated in electrostatic discharges from charged insulating surfaces. A distributed parameter model has been developed for estimating/predicting energy dissipation and charge transfer in discharges from thin insulating sheets backed by a ground plane. Time evolution of the system was determined by ordinary circuit equations and the physics governing the electrical breakdown of air. The model also generates "simulated Lichtenberg figures", providing insight into the mechanism governing the complex breakdown patterns that form across insulating surfaces when these discharges occur. To demonstrate the validity of the model, extensive experiments were carried out on corona charged insulating sheets using a custom surface potential mapping system. Based on approximations, it is shown that the total charge and energy liberated in a discharge can be computed from the difference between the electric fields inside the insulator before and after the discharge. Discharges from positively and negatively charged surfaces were found to be fundamentally different in nature. A detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the discharge mechanism's dependence on surface charge polarity is included.; The optical intensity and fluence generated by high-energy electrostatic discharges as a function of discharge energy were examined. Experiments involved spark discharges generated by high-voltage energy stored in fixed capacitors, as well as discharges initiated from highly charged insulating surfaces. A theory is developed for spark discharges relating the spark energy to the emitted light. For discharges from insulators, results indicate that the optical fluence varies almost linearly with discharge energy. |
