METRIC/SI NASA TECHNICAL NASA-HDBK-4007 HANDBOOK W/CHANGE 3— REVALIDATED 2020-12-29 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Approved: 2016-10-27 Superseding MSFC-STD-531 SPACECRAFT HIGH-VOLTAGE PASCHEN AND CORONA DESIGN HANDBOOK NASA-HDBK-4007 W/CHANGE 3 DOCUMENT HISTORY LOG Status Document Change Approval Date Description Revision Number Baseline 2016-10-27 Initial Release 1 2020-10-16 Administrative Change: Inactive for New Design—This NASA Technical Handbook is no longer authorized for use in new designs, because it is antiquated, and no new updates have been discovered in the last several years 2 2020-10-22 Administrative Change: Reinstate Active Status—Per NASA Engineering Standards Panel meeting 2020-10- 21. 3 2020-12-29 Administrative Change: Revalidated—This NASA Technical Handbook was reviewed and revalidated with revision to follow. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE—DISTRIBUTION IS UNLIMITED 2 of 147 NASA-HDBK-4007 W/CHANGE 3 FOREWORD This NASA Technical Handbook is published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a guidance document to provide engineering information; lessons learned; possible options to address technical issues; clarification of similar terms, materials, or processes; interpretive direction and techniques; and any other type of guidance information that may help the Government or its contractors in the design, construction, selection, management, support, or operation of systems, products, processes, or services. This NASA Technical Handbook is approved for use by NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers and Facilities. It may also apply to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and other contractors only to the extent specified or referenced in applicable contracts. This NASA Technical Handbook establishes an overview of high-voltage electrical/electronic design techniques used to specify and to apply electrical insulation to spacecraft high-voltage parts, components, and systems for spacecraft system designs that are required to meet stringent fault-free operation for a period of days to years in space without maintenance. Requests for information should be submitted via “Feedback” at https://standards.nasa.gov. Requests for changes to this NASA Technical Handbook should be submitted via MSFC Form 4657, Change Request for a NASA Engineering Standard. _______Original Signed By_______ _______10/27/2016_______ Ralph R. Roe, Jr. Approval Date NASA Chief Engineer APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE—DISTRIBUTION IS UNLIMITED Page 3 of 147 NASA-HDBK-4007 W/CHANGE 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE DOCUMENT HISTORY LOG .................................................................................. 2 FOREWORD ............................................................................................................... 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................ 4 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... 8 LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... 11 1. SCOPE ................................................................................................. 12 1.1 Purpose .................................................................................................. 12 1.2 Applicability .......................................................................................... 12 2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS .......................................................... 13 2.1 General .................................................................................................. 13 2.2 Government Documents........................................................................ 13 2.4 Order of Precedence .............................................................................. 13 3. ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS .................................................. 14 3.1 Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................ 14 3.2 Definitions ............................................................................................. 16 4. OVERVIEW ........................................................................................ 21 4.1 Background ........................................................................................... 23 4.2 Partial Discharges, Corona, and Other High Voltage Phenomena........ 24 5. ENVIRONMENTS .............................................................................. 25 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 25 5.1.1 Ambient Environment ........................................................................... 25 5.2 Contamination-Induced Environment ................................................... 26 5.2.1 Implications of Spacecraft Internal Pressure......................................... 26 5.2.2 Estimating Internal Gas Pressure .......................................................... 27 5.2.3 Outgassing Through Multilayer Insulation ........................................... 29 5.2.4 Suborbital Flights .................................................................................. 33 5.2.5 Gas Purges, Leakage, and Contamination............................................. 34 5.2.6 Outgassing of High-Voltage Circuits .................................................... 35 5.3 Electromagnetic Environment ............................................................... 37 5.3.1 Triboelectric Charging .......................................................................... 38 5.3.2 Rocket Motor and Jet Engine Charging ................................................ 38 5.3.3 Discharges Caused by Improper Grounding ......................................... 39 5.3.4 Staging Effects ...................................................................................... 40 5.3.5 Coating Insulators and Windshields...................................................... 40 5.3.6 Antenna Placement With Respect to Dischargers ................................. 40 5.4 References ............................................................................................. 40 5.4.1 Government Documents........................................................................ 40 5.4.2 Non-Government Documents ............................................................... 41 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE—DISTRIBUTION IS UNLIMITED Page 4 of 147 NASA-HDBK-4007 W/CHANGE 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) SECTION PAGE 6. INTERACTIONS ................................................................................ 43 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 43 6.2 Electric Field Configurations ................................................................ 43 6.2.1 Field Stress Calculations ....................................................................... 43 6.2.2 Configurations ....................................................................................... 45 6.2.3 Empirical Field Equations ..................................................................... 46 6.2.4 Voltage Distribution in Gas Surrounding Solid Dielectrics .................. 48 6.2.5 Wire Configurations .............................................................................. 49 6.3 Breakdown of Gases ............................................................................. 49 6.3.1 Paschen’s Law ....................................................................................... 49 6.3.1.1 External Radiation Effects .................................................................... 53 6.3.1.2 Temperature Effects .............................................................................. 53 6.3.2 Corona Frequency Spectrum of Air Between Parallel Wires ............... 56 6.3.3 Gas Mixtures ......................................................................................... 58 6.3.3.1 Helium-Oxygen ..................................................................................... 59 6.3.3.2 Nitrogen-Oxygen................................................................................... 59 6.3.3.3 Noble Gases .......................................................................................... 60 6.3.4 High-Frequency Breakdown ................................................................. 60 6.3.5 Multipactor Phenomena ........................................................................ 65 6.3.6 Creepage and Flashover ........................................................................ 72 6.3.6.1 Effect of Dielectric Constant on the Flashover Strength ...................... 73 6.3.6.2 Effect of Frequency on Flashover Strength .......................................... 74 6.3.6.3 Effect of Magnetic Field ....................................................................... 75 6.3.6.4 Effects of Air Temperature on Flashover Strength ............................... 75 6.3.6.5 Effect of Humidity on Flashover........................................................... 76 6.4 Breakdown of Solids ............................................................................. 77 6.4.1 Polarization ........................................................................................... 77 6.4.2 Dielectric Constant and Dissipation Factor........................................... 78 6.4.3 Dielectric Strength ...............................................................................