High Speed Streak Photography of the Breakdown of Transformer Oil and the Dependence of Its Nature on Local Stored Energy

High-speed streak photography provides additional evidence that changes in local stored energy influences the breakdown of dielectric liquids. In the experiments performed, the electrode area and test volume are kept constant while local stored energy is changed. The streak records show that the visible portion of a discharge crosses a stressed oil gap at speeds up to 5×106 m/s. Variations in local stored energy result in altered forms of the visible discharge.