Characteristics and underlying physics of ionic wind in dc corona discharge under different polarities

During a dc corona discharge, the ions' momentum will be transferred to the surrounding neutral molecules, inducing an ionic wind.The characteristics of corona discharge and the induced ionic wind are investigated experimentally and numerically under different polarities using a needle-to-ring electrode configuration.The morphology and mechanism of corona discharge, as well as the characteristics and mechanism of the ionic wind, are different when the needle serves as cathode or anode.Under the different polarities of the applied voltage, the ionic wind velocity has a linear relation with the overvoltage.The ionic wind is stronger but has a smaller active region for positive corona compared to that for negative corona under a similar condition.The involved physics are analyzed by theoretical deduction as well as simulation using a fluid model.The ionic wind of negative corona is mainly affected by negative ions.The discharge channel has a dispersed feature due to the dispersed field, and therefore the ionic wind has a larger active area.The ionic wind of positive corona is mainly affected by positive ions.The discharge develops in streamer mode, leading to a stronger ionic wind but a lower active area.     

Analytical model of a corona discharge from a conical electrode under saturation

Exact partial solutions are found for the electric field distribution in the outer region of a stationary unipolar corona discharge from an ideal conical needle in the space-charge-limited current mode with allowance for the electric field dependence of the ion mobility. It is assumed that only the very tip of the cone is responsible for the discharge, i.e., that the ionization zone is a point. The solutions are obtained by joining the spherically symmetric potential distribution in the drift space and the self-similar potential distribution in the space-charge-free region. Such solutions are outside the framework of the conventional Deutsch approximation, according to which the space charge insignificantly influences the shape of equipotential surfaces and electric lines of force. The dependence is derived of the corona discharge saturation current on the apex angle of the conical electrode and applied potential difference. A simple analytical model is suggested that describes drift in the point-plane electrode geometry under saturation as a superposition of two exact solutions for the field potential. In terms of this model, the angular distribution of the current density over the massive plane electrode is derived, which agrees well with Warburg??s empirical law.     

The Use of Corona Discharge for Rubber Crush Drier Exhaust Control

The rubber crush drier exhaust contains mainly styrene, ethylbenzene, cumene, diizopropylbenzene, alkylphenols, monocyclic terpenes and technological additives as stearic acid, oils an colophony. For possible application of d.c. corona discharge to control styrene in exhaust, the reaction of styrene with additives and air in various d.c. corona discharge tubes was studied. The change of styrene content in the gas phase was measured by IR absorption spectrometry. The decrease of styrene concentration was minimum 83% and reached the 98,9% efficiency. No aromatic compounds remain after corona discharge action in gas phase. The structure of solid products was specified with reflection IR absorption spectrometry and compared with a calibration polystyrene foil (300 μm). The main product has been of malein anhydride-styrene copolymer character for a negative corona discharge and of phenol or quinone-styrene copolymer character for a positive corona discharge.     

Analysis of geometric scaling of miniature,multi-electrode assisted corona discharges for ionic wind generation

The assisted corona discharge is a unique discharge configuration that utilizes multiple collecting electrodes to minimize the voltage required to initiate a corona discharge and to generate an ionic wind. In this work, the geometric parameters that govern the formation of the assisted corona discharge and subsequent ionic wind are evaluated. Flow velocity measurements suggest that the geometry of the electrode spacings is optimized for ionic wind generation when the current flowing to the collector electrode is maximized, and that as the electrode gap is decreased to microscale dimensions, ionic wind production is inhibited.     

基于电晕放电的大功率LED散热研究

针对大功率LED芯片的散热问题,提出了一种基于电晕放电原理的离子风散热方案。通过试验,研究了电晕放电的电学性能,同时探寻了放电电压对制冷效果的影响以及温降随电晕放电功率的变化规律。结果表明,放电间距相同时,对发生器施加负电晕能够在较低的电压下产生离子风,降温效果显著。电晕电流平方根与放电电压呈线性关系。电晕放电功率为1.5 W、放电间距为10 mm时,散热效果最好。     

The production of excimer molecules and excited atoms in a positive corona discharge in He/Xe(Kr)/SF6/CCl4 mixtures

Electrical and optical characteristics of a positive corona discharge in He/Xe(Kr)/SF₆/CCl₄ mixtures, which are of interest for the use in multiwavelength excimer radiation sources, are studied in the needle-grid electrode configuration. The length of the discharge, which is usually used to pump repetitive high-pressure multiwavelength radiation sources, is equal to the length of the electrodes of an excimer laser or lamp pumped by a transverse electric discharge. The discharge current-voltage and frequency characteristics, panoramic emission spectra, and the dependences of the relative emission intensity from the halogenides and excited noble gas atoms on the corona discharge current are investigated. The main processes resulting in the production of halogenides, as well as xenon and krypton excited atoms, in the generation regions of a corona discharge are studied.     

Diffraction efficiency increase by corona discharge in photoinduced surface-relief gratings on an azo polymer film

The diffraction efficiency of a surface-relief grating (SRG) was dramatically increased by corona discharge. We fabricated this SRG by applying surface modulation to azo polymer films, using laser interference fringes. The electric charge was deposited upon the SRG by a corona discharge in an oven. The first-order diffraction efficiency measured before and after corona discharge above the glass-transition temperature increased from ~2% to ~40% in a SRG written with a circularly polarized beam. The relief depth of the SRG as measured with an atomic-force microscope also increased, from ~130 nm to ~450 nm. The increase in diffraction efficiency was independent of the writing polarization.     

Study of magnetically enhanced corona pre-charger

In this paper, experimental investigations of the discharge characteristics of magnetically enhanced corona discharges, for the purpose of capturing fine aerosol particles, are presented. The discharge mechanism during such a process is analyzed as well. The effects of magnetic enhancement under different magnet flux densities, and in positive- or negative-corona discharges, were experimentally compared. The magnetically enhanced effects in different inter-electrode regions were studied. Experimental results demonstrated that the magnetic field could efficiently increase the concentrations of both the negative ions and the free electrons during negative-corona discharge. The dominant mechanism of magnetic enhancement in a corona discharge involves the Larmor precessions of free electrons which enhance ionization of the gas molecules near the discharge electrode. A convenient configuration for enhancing corona discharge was formed by placing permanent magnets with a local strong magnetic field near the discharge electrode. A magnetically enhanced negative-corona (MNC) pre-charger was assembled in front of an electrostatic enhancement filter. The influence of the MNC pre-charger on the efficiencies of an electrostatic enhancement filter was measured and compared with that of a conventional corona pre-charger. The free-electron-charging mechanism of the MNC pre-charger was preliminarily analyzed. Our results show that the new pre-charging technique is promising for capturing fine aerosol particles in electrostatic enhancement filters or electrostatic precipitators.     

On the negative corona and ionic wind over water electrode surface

The DC corona discharge in air and the induced ionic wind were investigated in the needle-to-water system at atmospheric pressure. The water deformation was measured under various conditions, and wind pressure and active areas were estimated accordingly. The effects of applied voltage, gap spacing and tip radius on the corona ionic wind were studied and the qualitative analysis was provided. Self-rotation of corona discharge was observed in experiments. The results show that higher voltage or electric field strength results in a stronger ionic wind. The active area increases with applied voltage below a voltage threshold. There is an optimal gap distance for a wider as well as stronger ionic wind and blunter needle we used leads to an enhancement on both the active area and the wind strength. The wind velocity reaches 7 m/s at optimized condition in the present system. The rotation of corona discharge helps to improve the active area and uniformity of the treating area which may be associated with the chemical reaction of the water surface.     

Forced corona method for the evaluation of fabrics with conductive fibres

Modern fabrics for protective clothing, used in environment where the level of static charge must be controlled, are composites where a grid or stripes of conductive fibres are present inside a matrix of highly resistive base fabric. In protective clothing, where the conductive fabric elements are not effectively grounded, corona discharge is the major limiting mechanism for fabric charging. In this paper, corona discharge of electrostatic discharge protective fabrics has been studied. A new experimental method, forced corona, was developed for the measurement of corona onset and offset potentials as well as corona current. According to results, the residual level of fabric surface potential after corona discharge was the lowest in fabrics containing core conductive fibres. The behaviour is because of the small dimensions and sharp edges of the core conductive fibres.     

Experimental study of pulsed corona discharge in air

We report on the results of experimental investigation of a pulsed corona discharge in electric fields with different degrees of nonuniformity under the action of a standard thunderstorm pulse in a wide range of voltages from the origination threshold to the breakdown. A high-sensitivity video camera makes it possible to record microdischarge and streamer processes in air long before the spark breakdown. It is known that the size of the corona discharge sheath increases with the supplied voltage, and the shape of the corona sheath depends on the polarity of the active electrode [1, 2]. It was demonstrated for the first time by Peek [3] that the range of voltages from the initiation of a corona discharge to the spark breakdown increases with the degree of nonuniformity of the electric field. We show that an analogous pattern is observed for a pulsed corona also. Our results show that the form of a pulsed corona discharge considerably depends on the pulse polarity, and a spark breakdown becomes possible when most branches in the streamer corona cover the electrode gap.     

120 kV下常压空气纳秒脉冲电晕放电特性

使用上升沿15 ns、脉宽30~40 ns的重复频率纳秒脉冲电源对120 kV下大气压空气中管-板电极结构电晕放电进行了实验研究,通过电压电流测量、放电图像拍摄和X射线探测分析了纳秒脉冲电晕放电特性。结果表明:纳秒脉冲电晕放电中存在X射线辐射,但辐射强度较弱,X射线辐射计数随着气隙距离的增大而减少,随着脉冲重复频率的增大而增多;放电空间的残余电荷加强了下一个脉冲到来时的局部电场,从而导致高重复频率下易于出现分散的电晕通道。     

线-铝箔电极电晕放电激励器的推力理论与实验研究

空气电晕放电离子风激励器无需旋转部件, 仅通过消耗电能就能直接产生驱动力, 它是一种新型的动力技术, 备受国内外航空航天界的广泛关注. 目前对空气电晕放电离子风激励器的推力产生机理虽有各种解释, 但是现有理论均不能统一各种条件下的实验结果, 仍需要开展进一步的分析与研究. 本文以线-铝箔电极电晕放电激励器为研究对象, 通过实验研究发现作用在线电极与铝箔电极上的静电力不对称, 而且改变铝箔电极纵向高度和气压均能影响激励器的推力大小; 通过理论分析, 考虑电晕层与空间电荷的影响, 建立了线-铝箔电极电晕放电激励器的推力计算模型, 其计算值与实测值比较一致. 基于上述实验现象与理论建模分析, 本文认为线-铝箔电极电晕放电激励器的推力主要来源于线电极电晕产生的空间电荷对电极系统产生了不对称静电力作用, 使激励器出现净静电力作用.     

Visualization of the local ionic wind profile in a DC corona discharge field by laser-induced phosphorescence emission

Experimental visualization for ionic wind motion originated from DC corona discharges in a needle-plate electrode system has been investigated. A vapor-phase biacetyl tracer with laser-induced phosphorescence emission is used for optically characterizing the ionic wind profile. The ionic wind blows the excited biacetyl molecules away in continuing the visible phosphorescence emission for a long radiative lifetime. The captured image with elapsing time from the excitation presents the shifting location of radiative tracer along the ionic wind direction. The experimental results show the ionic wind profile enhanced in the electric field direction corresponding to the corona discharge progress. Especially, the ionic wind near an initiating point of corona discharges is focused as an advantage of this optical technique. The ionic wind velocity along the electrode axis can be obtained at the location close enough to the corona discharge initiation point, and the velocity at 0.5 mm from the discharge point is figured out as 9.3 to 19.2 m/s under the condition of the EHD Reynolds number of 0.95×10³ to 2.1×10³.     

Characteristic of a negative corona discharge in active media of Xe(6p−5d) and eximer lasers

The article contains results of a study of electric and optical characteristics of a negative corona discharge in a “needles-grid” electrode system in the mixtures He/Xe and He/Xe(Kr)/HCl, which are used in periodic pulsed electric-discharge Xe(6p−5d), XeCl, and KrCl lasers. The corona discharge was ignited in a multielectrode system whose length is commensurable with the length of the active medium of the lasers. Voltage-current characteristics, radiation spectra of the discharge plasma, and the dependences of the radiation intensity of atomic spectral lines and the band λ=308 nm of XeCl (B-X) on parameters of the corona discharge are studied. For the mixture He/Xe the corona discharge exists as a spatially homogeneous discharge that is intermediate between corona and glow discharges and is transformed into an anode streamer at higher charge voltages. Collisional purification of the 6p states of the Xe atom by helium was observed. In the mixture He/Xe/HCl the corona discharge is ignited in the form of individual generation zones and a dark external region and can be used in electric systems for pumping the active media of XeCl and KrCl lasers. Uzhgorod State University, 46, Pidgirna St., Uzhgorod, 294000, Ukraine. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 2, pp. 205–210, March–April, 1998.     

An experimental investigation on corona quenching

Current–voltage characteristics of a wire-and-tube electrostatic precipitator were measured under conditions of corona quenching. It was found that corona quenching is associated with an increase or decrease of the corona onset voltage (depending on the discharge electrode diameter) and with a strong deformation of the current–voltage characteristic for voltages close to the corona onset voltage. The current state of knowledge, describing corona quenching as a simple shift of the current–voltage characteristic to higher voltages, apparently goes back to measurements of less resolution. Possible mechanisms leading to an understanding of the newly observed phenomena are discussed.     

An experimental study of relative humidity and air flow effects on positive and negative corona discharges in a corona-needle charger

In this paper, the effects of inlet air RH and air flow rate on positive and negative corona discharges in a corona-needle charger have been experimentally studied and discussed. Its corona discharge characterizations in terms of current-to-voltage relationships of the corona-needle charger on the effects of inlet air RH and air flow rate were evaluated at applied corona voltages between 0 and 3.1 kV, an air flow rates between 5 and 15 L/min, a relative humidity between 20 and 90%, and an operating pressure of about 101.3 kPa. Experimental results were shown that discharge current is strongly affected by the RH level of the inlet air. The positive discharge current was found to be decreased with increasing RH value at RH values below 60% and increased with increasing RH value at RH value above 60% in the same corona voltage. The negative discharge current was found to be stable with increasing RH value at RH values below 40% and increased with increasing RH value at RH value above 40% in the same corona voltage. For the air flow rate effects, the positive discharge current was found to slightly decrease when the air flow rate increased at RH value below 90% and to increase with the air flow rate at RH value of 90%. For the negative corona, the discharge current was also found to monotonically decrease when the air flow rate increased.     

Needle Growth Induced by Corona Discharge

It is shown that the growth of a dense array of chromium microneedles is induced on a field cathode tip interacting with a negative corona discharge in ambient Cr(CO)₆ of 1 – 5 × 10^?2 Torr. The growth begins with the initiation of a corona discharge surrounding the tip, and it proceeds as long as the discharge is sustained. The needles emit field electrons during the growth, thereby sustaining the discharge, while the discharge lengthens the needles by supplying metallic particles to their tips. The morphological structure of the needles is strongly affected by an external magnetic field, leading us to hypothesize that the needle grow axially as the electron avalanches, originating at the cathode tip, propagate outward from tip.     

气体介质对多间隙气体开关电晕均压与自击穿特性的影响

快脉冲直线变压器型驱动源(FLTD)是近年来快速发展的新型脉冲功率源技术,多采用多间隙气体开关作为开关器件。电晕均压措施有利于提升开关击穿性能,但不同气体中电晕放电有显著区别。本文首先研究了空气中针电极对单间隙电晕放电特性的影响,确定了电晕针电极的尺寸,之后研究了N2,CO2,SF6/N2混合气体、C4F7N/N2混合气体中的电晕放电特性,研究了电晕均压6间隙气体开关击穿电压及其稳定性随气体种类和气压的变化规律。实验结果表明,N2中电晕电流较大且不稳定,空气中电晕电流比N2中低,且电晕放电较为稳定,微量强电负性气体加入会极大降低电晕放电电流。当采用空气和N2作绝缘介质时,气体开关击穿电压随气压升高线性增加,但存在低值击穿,微量强电负性气体混合N2可显著提升击穿电压的稳定性。1%SF6/99%N2混合气体在0.18 MPa时,击穿电压约为197.33 kV,标准偏差占击穿电压比例为1.50%,1%C4F7N/99%N2混合气体在0.15 MPa时,击穿电压约为190.42 kV,标准偏差为0.55%。这表明,微量环保替代气体C4F7N与N2的混合气体对于提升多间隙气体开关击穿电压稳定性有显著作用。     

高灵敏度电晕放电辐射信号探测方案

为了实现复杂电磁环境下电晕放电辐射信号的探测,从信号特征入手,通过对电晕电流的计算和模拟实验,揭示了电晕放电的时、频域特征。在分析自然环境下噪声频率分布规律的基础上,设计了窄频段探测技术,通过设计特定频段的定向天线、增加高频宽带低噪声放大器、应用数字处理终端等方式,搭建了高灵敏度的微弱信号探测系统,成功探测到自然环境中600m外的电晕放电辐射信号。实验结果充分证明了电晕放电辐射信号的远距离探测的可行性,为电晕放电目标探测提供了重要的技术手段。