Propagation of positive discharges in long liquid gaps

This paper presents a summary of the introductory lecture to be presented at the 1996 ICDL on the particular problem of prebreakdown phenomena in long liquid gaps (centimeters to decimeters). The specific topics developed concern the characterisation of the propagation of positive discharges in mineral oil, including a description of the various propagation modes, together with the study and modelling of their gaseous nature and electrical properties