In: Electrical Engineering
Describe briefly the breakdown of liquids below intrinsic
strength due to 3 types of
impurities.
In the case of commercial insulating liquid, which may not be subjected to very elaborate purifying treatment, the breakdown strength will depend more upon the nature of impurities it contains than upon the nature of the liquid itself.These impurities which lead to the breakdown of commercial liquids below their intrinsic strength, can be divided into the following 3 categories
(a) Impurities which have breakdown strength lower than that of the liquid itself (ex: bubbles of gas). Breakdown of the impurities may trigger off the total breakdown of the liquid.
(b) Impurities which are unstable in the electric field (ex: globules of water). Instability of the impurity can result in a low resistance bridge across the electrodes and in total breakdown.
(c) Impurities which result in local enhancement of electric field in a liquid (ex: conducting particles). The enhanced field may cause local breakdown and therefore initiate complete breakdown.