Field dependent conductivity of n-pentane

Abstract

A sensitive differential charge measurement technique was used to measure the conduction current from a sharp needle in a needle plane geometry in n-pentane. The current was measured at voltages up to the threshold for streamer inception in n-pentane with a positive needle polarity. The measured current was compared to finite element models to link the recorded charge with conductivity models for the liquid. A good fit was obtained using the classical Poole-Frenkel conductivity model.