A brush discharge is a type of corona discharge that takes place between two electrodes embedded in a nonconducting medium (e.g., air at atmospheric pressure) and is characterized by nonsparking, faintly luciferous furcations composed of ionized particles.
Brush discharges can occur from charged insulating plastics (for example polythene) to a conductor. The maximum energy associated with brush discharges is unlikely to exceed 4 mJ. Such discharges may be incendive but are less likely to cause ignition of a solvent - air mixture than an electrostatic discharge between two conductors.
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