The Random Spatial Distribution of Pulsed Air Spark Discharge Path Under Needle-Plate Electrode Configuration

The development of the streamer discharge has the characteristic of randomness. In this work, based on the statistical and digital image processing method, the effects of the applied voltage, pulse interval and discharge gap on the random path of the spark discharge are studied with a needle-plate electrode configuration. The measurements show that the distribution of the discharges path obeys normal distribution. By calculating its standard deviation, it is concluded that its randomness of the path decreases with the increase of applied voltage, increases with the increase of pulse interval, and increases with the increase of discharge gap. The experimental results indirectly verify that the randomness of spark discharge is affected by the space electron concentration and the applied electric field.