Characteristics of current flowing on plug under contaminated and wetted condition

Tracking of a plug for household appliance connected to an outlet is considered one of causes of fire, which is observed when dust is accumulated in the space between the plug and the outlet and wetted by dew condensation. It is strongly requested to detect the tracking in order to interrupt power supply before starting fire. This paper reports a series of fundamental studies on current characteristics flowing on a plug surface between electrodes under artificially contaminated and wetted conditions. Tracking was observed on plug and outlet surfaces in an accelerated test using electrolyte.