The simplest and the most commonly dielectrics are gases.

found

Most of the electrical apparatus use air as the insulating medium, and in a few cases other gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, Freon and sulphur hexafluoride are also used.

When the applied voltage is low, small currents flow between the electrodes and the insulation retains its electrical properties. On the other hand, if the applied voltages are large, the current flowing through the insulation increases very sharply, and an electrical breakdown occurs. A strongly conducting spark formed during breakdown voltage applied to the insulation at the moment of breakdown is called the breakdown voltage. In order to understand the breakdown phenomenon in gases, a study of the electrical properties of gases and the processes by which high currents produce in gases is essential.

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electrical discharges in gases are of two types, i.e. (1) non-sustaining discharge, and (2) self-sustaining types. breakdown in a gas, called spark breakdown is the transition of a non-sustaining discharge into a self-sustaining discharge. build-up of high currents in a breakdown is due to the process known as ionization in which electrons and ions created from neutral atoms or molecules and their migration to the anode and cathode respectively leads high currents.

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present two types of theories:(1)Townsend theory, and (2)Streamer theory are known which explain the mechanism for breakdown under different conditions

The various physical conditions of gases namely pressure, temperature, electrodes field configuration, nature of electrodes surface and availabilty of initial conducting particles are known to govern the ionization processes.

 Gases

used as insulation must satisfy the following basic requirements.

(1) Gas must be chemically inert and should not react with dielectrics, in combination with which it is used, and with other materials used in the construction of the apparatus. (2) During the ionization of the gas, which to a certain degree is always possible in high voltages apparatus, chemically active substances should, similarly. Not be emitted.

(3) Gas must posses a low temperature of liquefaction, since otherwise, it will not be possible to use it at increased pressures ( with increase of pressure, temperature at which gas changes into liquid increase.

(4) Gas must posses as high as possible electric strength and high heat conductivity. The last one is especially important in those cases when the gas simultaneously serves as an insulating as well as cooling medium.

(5) The cost of gas must be sufficiently low. So that its use is economically justified.

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electron will no longer experience the attractive force of the photons and therefore will be free , then the electron is said to be removed from the atom. Ionization is the process by which an electron is removed from an atom leaving the atom with a net positive ion. Since an electron in the outermost orbit is subject to the least attractive force from the nucleus .

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is the easiest one that can be removed by any of the ionization processes which imparts energy to the atom. The energy required to remove an outer electron, completely from the normal state in the atom to a distance well beyond the sphere of the nucleus is called the first ionization energy wi. It is customary to measure this energy with the help of potential vi, though which an electron has been accelerated in an electric field in order to acquire energy equal to the ionization energy. This quantity is called the ionization potential.

 Wi

is therefore generally expressed in electron volt(ev) and is numerically equal to the ionization potential. Thus we have,1ev=e* 1v. where, e=charge of an electron =1.6*10 coulombs. so, 1ev=1.6*10 coulombs..