Abstract
The motion of a conductive spherical particle under uniform electric field is investigated in order to find a suitable method for removing the conducting solid impurities contained in liquid plastic. When the positive dc voltage applied to the upper electrode, the vertical up-and-down motion of a charged particle by electrostatic force is observed by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera or a high-speed video camera. The experimental data of the static threshold voltage by which the particle starts to move toward the counter electrode in air or silicone oil are in good agreement with theoretical value. When the applied voltage is larger than the static threshold voltage, the particle motion pattern in silicone oil consists of four stages: upward motion, stopping at the upper electrode, downward motion and stopping at the lower electrode. The stopping motion on the electrode is thought to be caused by the liquid flow accompanied by the particle motion. The particle charge calculated by integrating the pulse current, which is generated by the charge exchange between the electrode and the particle, is approximately 0.1~0.25 times of the theoretical value. This study is expected to help understand the electric properties of microparticles in oil circuit breaker (OCB) and oil transformer and improve their performance and longevity.