Simulate electric discharge circuit

[mikemara]

Hello friends.
My name is Mike and I am electrical engineering student. I want to simulate an electric discharge circuit. I am using Simulink. I figured out that Mayr's model is the most accurate model for simulating electrical discharge (If you know something better please let me know). I found only a tiny bit of information about simulating electrical discharge. I am looking for a model that can give me good approximation about voltage spike due to this discharge. In general Mayr's model requires parameters that I don't really know how to get. I am really interested in modeling electrical discharge and its effects on the electrical grid.

Discharge circuit:Attached.

The discharge gap is around 0.4 mm.
C1,c2,c3- capacitors for required of charging and getting more Jowls.
Ra – resistor required to charge the capacitors (Limiting the current).
R1,R2,R3 – resistors for homogenous distribution of voltage

I really want to know what happens after the electrical discharge happens from voltage and current view point . I also want to build a spectral analysis to this electrical discharge.

 

[ali77]

I'm also interested in this topic , I hope to find someone to help us how to simulate the circuit

 

[BradtheRad]

Falstad's simulator has a spark gap model. The menu contains 3 circuits for it.

www.falstad.com/circuit

To run the applet, your computer needs to have Java installed. The simulator is animated and interactive.

Spark gap:

 

[mikemara]

Seems like a great simulator but I am intrested in the model too.

 

[BradtheRad]

The model's behavior is governed by several parameters. You can examine these, and change them as you wish. Right-click on the component and select Edit.

 

[FvM]

It looks like a very simple ideal trigger device without specific relations to real gas discharge.

 

[mikemara]

I am seeking for a better model then just a switch since I want to perform spectral analysis. thanx.

 

[FvM]

What's the frequency range of interest for your spectral analysis? The Cassie and Mayr arc model seems to attempt a behavioral simulation an arc discharge based on average thermodynamic parameters. I doubt that it represents the voltage and current waveforms in the sub microsecond range.

 

[mikemara]

From one view point this electric discharge is required in my system and from other viewpoint point this discharge is tripping other electronics. I really want to see what frequencies are created due to this discharge and then build a filter. Are you familiar with Mayr simulink model ( I need to modify it so it will work as a discharge simulator)? As I said this is my approach (Student) if you are familiar with a better approach I will gladly take it

 

[FvM]

I'm not familiar with this and similar arc discharge models, I just take a look at it's structure and am quite sure that it can't give the answers you're looking for. A useful approach would be to either search for literature with waveforms of real world arc discharges, or probably better acquire some representative waveforms in a laboratory and use them for your filter design.

 

[mikemara]

Look what I found :

http://ltwiki.org/index.php5?title=Adventures_with_Analog

It works with LTspice. I have installed the program and simulated the circuit (spark_gap and spark_ignition) but I still can't understand where they got thier parameters from.