Electric field and DC breakdown voltage of multi-layer dielectrics in parallel-plane geometry

Abstract

In this paper, the electric field, space charge and temperature distributions across a double layered dielectric are investigated under DC voltage. The dissimilarity of material properties of different layers, the effect of electric field and temperature dependent conductivity are found to play critical role in the electro-thermal problem of multi-dielectrics. At the interface, Maxwell-Wagner polarization is incorporated for electric field and interfacial charge, while temperature is considered as a continuous function of space inside the material. The current continuity equation, thermal continuity equation and Poisson's equation are simultaneously solved using numerical methods in parallel-plane electrode geometry. The electric field distribution, temperature distribution, space charge distribution and thermal breakdown limits are obtained at various boundary temperatures for different thickness proportions of layers.