This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Advanced Study Institute on Breakdown and Discharges in Gases was held in Les Arcs, France, June 28 to July 10, 1981. The object of the Institute was to provide a broad but compre hensive presentation of the various topics in the field of Gaseous electronics. To achieve this goal, a number of lectures, seminars, and panel discussions were scheduled. Each topic was developed by two tutorial and/or review lectures, and brought to the present state of the topic by seminars and panel discussions. The program of topics and speakers was selected with the assistance of the advisory committee composed of: J. A. Rees, European Coordinator, England; M. Goldman, French Coordinator, France; A. H. Guenther, USA; M. Kristiansen, USA; and A. V. Phelps, USA. The most memorable aspect of the Institute was the sustained high interest of the faculty and participants for the two week period. The daily schedule was demanding: five hours of lectures, two hours of seminars and one of discussion. These sessions were often extended because of presentation by the participants of im proptu seminars. The discussions were intense. Majestic }10nt Blanc provided the backdrop for the lecture hall, and these surroundings and the weather contributed to the overall positive mood. It was a wonderful occasion. The lectures and seminars have been collected into two volumes.

Pulsed power technology, in the simplest of terms, usually concerns the storage of electrical energy over relatively long times and then its rapid release over a comparatively short period. However, if we leave the definition at that, we miss a multitude of aspects that are important in the ultimate application of pulsed power. It is, in fact, the application of pulsed power technology to which this series of texts will be focused. Pulsed power in today's broader sense means "special power" as opposed to the tra ditional situation of high voltage impulse issues related to the utility industry. Since the pulsed power field is primarily application driven, it has principally an engineering flavor. Today' s applications span those from materials processing, such as metal forming by pulsed magnetic fields, to other varied applications, such as psy chedelic strobe lights or radar modulators. Very high peak power applications occur in research for inertial confinement fusion, the Strategic Defense Initiative and other historical defense uses. lri fact it is from this latter direction that pulsed power has real ized explosive growth over the past half century. Early thrusts were in electrically powered systems that simulated the environment or effects of nuclear weapons detonation. More recently it is being utilized as prime power sources for directed energy weapons, such as lasers, microwaves, particle beam weapons, and even mass drivers (kinetic energy weapons).

The Seventh International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, U. S. A. , on April 24-28, 1994. The symposium continued the interdisciplinary character and comprehensive approach of the preceding six symposia. Gaseous DielecIries VII is a detailed record of the symposium proceedings. It covers recent advances and developments in a wide range of basic, applied and industrial areas of gaseous dielectrics. It is hoped that Gaseous DielecIries VII will aid future research and development in, and encourage wider industrial use of, gaseous dielectrics. The Organizing Committee of the Seventh International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics consisted of G. Addis (U. S. A. ), L. G. Christophorou (U. S. A. ), F. Y. Chu (Canada), A. H. Cookson (U. S. A. ), O. Farish (U. K. ), I. Gallimberti (Italy) , A. Garscadden (U. S. A. ), D. R. James (U. S. A. ), E. Marode (France), T. Nitta (Japan), W. Pfeiffer (Germany), Y. Qiu (China), I. Sauers (U. S. A. ), R. J. Van Brunt (U. S. A. ), and W. Zaengl (Switzerland). The local arrangements committee consisted of members of the Health Sciences Research Division and personnel of the Conference Office of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and staff of the University of Tennessee (UTK). The contributions of each member of these committees, the work of the Session Chairmen, the interest of the participants, and the advice of innumerable colleagues are gratefully acknowledged. I am especially indebted to Dr. Isidor Sauers, Dr. David R. James, Mrs.

Power transfer for large systems depends on high system voltages. The basics of high voltage laboratory techniques and phenomena, together with the principles governing the design of high voltage insulation, are covered in this book for students, utility engineers, designers and operators of high voltage equipment. In this new edition the text has been entirely revised to reflect current practice. Major changes include coverage of the latest instrumentation, the use of electronegative gases such as sulfur hexafluoride, modern diagnostic techniques, and high voltage testing procedures with statistical approaches. - A classic text on high voltage engineering - Entirely revised to bring you up-to-date with current practice - Benefit from expanded sections on testing and diagnostic techniques