Brush discharge plastics. The ability of an electrical discharge to cause an explosion in flammable atmospheres is measured by the "effective energy" of the discharge. The effective energy of brush discharges is 10-20 mJ, much larger than that of corona discharges 0.1 mJ. Therefore, brush discharges are considered an explosion hazard, while corona discharges are not. Brush discharges can occur from charged insulating plastics (for example polythene) to a conductor. Brush discharge A brush discharge is an electrical disruptive discharge similar to a corona discharge that takes place at an electrode with a high voltage applied to it, embedded in a nonconducting
Electrical discharge machining (debris) to be carried away and the insulating properties of the dielectric to be restored. Adding new liquid dielectric in the inter-electrode volume is commonly referred to as "flushing." Also, after a current flow, the difference of potential between the electrodes is restored to what it was before the breakdown, so that a new liquid dielectric breakdown can occur. The erosive effect of electrical discharges was first noted in 1770 by English physicist Joseph Priestley. Two Russian scientists, B. R. Lazarenko and N. I. Lazarenko, were tasked in 1943 to investigate ways of preventing the erosion of tungsten electrical contacts