Effect of relative humidity on current–voltage characteristics of monopolar DC wire-to-plane system

This paper deals with the DC monopolar corona discharge in wire-to-plane geometry under variable humid air conditions. The classical formulas of Townsend commonly used for the current–voltage characteristics were used to determine the various corona parameters for the both polarities of the corona discharge. A circular biased probe has been adapted to the plane and is used to measure the ground plane current density and electric field during the monopolar corona discharge. A new approach to the problem of corona discharge in transmission system has been described in this paper. The effect of varying the humidity and wires diameter is also investigated. The values of the electric field and the current density are maximum beneath the corona wire and decrease when moving away from them and the current–voltage characteristics follow the quadratic Townsend's law. The experimental results show that the monopolar corona discharge is strongly affected by the air humidity. The current density and the electric field are measured and compared with the computed values. The agreement between the calculated values and those obtained experimentally is satisfactory. The per unit electric field and current density are also represented by a unique function.     

An empirical model for ionic wind generation by a needle-to-cylinder dc corona discharge

We present the results of an experimental study on ionic wind generation by a needle-to-cylinder dc corona discharge. A strong electrical field in the air generates air flow driven by the motion of ionized gas molecules along electric field lines. We measured the ionic wind velocity and discharge current with respect to various electrode geometries, distances between electrodes, and applied voltages. Our measurements suggest an empirical model for the ionic wind velocity as a function of the geometric factors of the collector electrode and the applied electric potential, which is useful for designing ionic wind cooling systems for small electronics.     

Modelling of ions for seeding technique to electrify the atmosphere

There are number of ways in which weak electrification can affect the microphysics of clouds, with consequences for cloud lifetime, radiative properties, and precipitation efficiency. Kauffman [2011] suggested ions produced by direct current generators will add to and enhance the catalysing effects that cosmic ray ions are now known to produce in among other things, lowering nucleation barriers, stimulating charged particle growth and stability and increasing the scavenging rate in clouds. Thus to electrify the atmosphere ions can be generated artificially in abundance along with large electric field.Ions can be generated by the corona effect using Atmospheric electrifiers (a device used to generate negative ions) which makes use of corona discharge phenomenon to charge the air particles. Exact assessment of electric field and charge density distributions and the flow dynamics inside the electrifiers is essential to understand the particle behaviour inside the electrifiers.In this paper, a novel model of governing equations to evaluate the space charge density, electric field intensity and velocity of ionized airflow is suggested as a function of applied voltage. The Poisson and charge conservation equations are derived and hence can be used to estimate the electric field and charge density distributions. Navier stokes equation can be used to get the velocity of ionized airflow because of electric force on the air. Simulation is carried out to validate the proposed model and verify that velocity is function of input voltage and is proportional to it.     

多针电晕增强大气压辉光放电稳定性研究

利用多针电晕增强放电装置，在无气流和存在高速气流的情况下都得到了稳定的大气压辉光.通过纪录发光图片、电流-电压波形和伏安特性曲线的方法对影响放电稳定性的因素做了细致地研究，发现了在从电晕放电到辉光放电的过程中存在着过渡阶段，表现为出现带有直流成分的Trichel脉冲.气流速度、极板间距以及针尖锥度和凹坑曲率半径的匹配程度都对放电的稳定性和电流密度有着重要的影响. 关键词： 大气压辉光放电 多针电晕 等离子体     

Flow distribution and pressure of air due to ionic wind in pin-to-plate corona discharge system

An electrohydrodynamic investigation has been carried out in a pin-to-plate gas discharge system to clarify the mechanism of repulsive force generation between a pin and plate electrode at corona discharge. Numerical calculations have been conducted in two steps. First, the axi-cylindrical static corona discharge field was calculated with the finite-element method to deduce the Coulombic body force ρ E applied to the air, where ρ is the charge density and E is the electric field, and then the induced ionic wind was calculated with the finite differential method. The calculated pressure distribution on the plate electrode was on the order of 10 Pa which was in good agreement with the measured pressure distribution. The calculated air velocity at the center was several m/s and was confirmed by a time-of-flight experiment and the velocity distribution near the pin electrode also agreed with measurements using a laser Doppler velocimeter. Pressure and wind velocity were increased at high-applied voltage. These results confirm that the ionic wind is the cause of the repulsive force to the pin electrode at the corona discharge.     

A study of cross-gas-flow to stabilize an atmospheric pressure glow plasma in a multi-pin-to-multi-cupped-plane negative corona discharge

In a multi-pin-to-multi-cupped-plane DC negative corona discharge configuration, a stable and diffuse glow discharge controlled by a fast airflow was obtained. This paper investigates the effect of the air gas flow velocity and the electrode structure on the discharge mode transition and the stabilization of the glow discharge by means of electric measurements and emission records. The stabilization mechanism of the glow discharge is discussed. The maximum glow discharge current reached 3.9 mA and the average current density was about 0.7 mA/cm².     

Ion current density profiles in negative corona gaps versus EHD confinements

This paper deals with the electric and hydrodynamic confinement of negative ions in a point-to-plane corona discharge gap. Radial ion current density profiles have been measured on the earthed planar electrode, drilled in the axis of the point. The experimental setup is first validated by comparison with the Warburg's law without injected gas flow rate. The gas injected in the gap and blown from the discharge gap through the hole located at the centre of the plane affects neither the electric field close to the point nor the subsequent electric wind. However, it leads to the confinement of ions flux towards the central symmetry axis in the low electric field region up to a critical gas velocity, which for no more effect is measurable. Hence, electro hydro-dynamics confinement of ions can be achieved by limiting the outward radial expansion of ions to increase ion current densities on specific locations close to the low field planar electrode.     

Numerical simulation and experimental validation of direct current air corona discharge under atmospheric pressure

Air corona discharge is one of the critical problems associated with high-voltage equipment. Investigating the corona mechanism plays a key role in enhancing the electrical insulation performance. An improved self-consistent multi-component two-dimensional plasma hybrid model is presented for the simulation of a direct current atmospheric pressure corona discharge in air. The model is based on plasma hydrodynamic and chemical models, and includes 12 species and 26 reactions. In addition, the photoionization effect is introduced into the model. The simulation on a bar-plate electrode configuration with an inter-electrode gap of 5.0 mm is carried out. The discharge voltage– current characteristics and the current density distribution predicted by the hybrid model agree with the experimental measurements. In addition, the dynamics of volume charged species generation, discharge current waveform, current density distribution at an electrode, charge density, electron temperature, and electric field variations are investigated in detail based on the model. The results indicate that the model can contribute valuable insights into the physics of an air plasma discharge.     

Numerical simulation and experimental validation of a direct current air corona discharge under atmospheric pressure

Air corona discharge is one of the critical problems associated with high-voltage equipment. Investigating the corona mechanism plays a key role in enhancing the electrical insulation performance. An improved self-consistent multi-component two-dimensional plasma hybrid model is presented for the simulation of a direct current atmospheric pressure corona discharge in air. The model is based on plasma hydrodynamic and chemical models, and includes 12 species and 26 reactions. In addition, the photoionization effect is introduced into the model. The simulation on a bar-plate electrode configuration with an inter-electrode gap of 5.0 mm is carried out. The discharge voltage-current characteristics and the current density distribution predicted by the hybrid model agree with the experimental measurements. In addition, the dynamics of volume charged species generation, discharge current waveform, current density distribution at an electrode, charge density, electron temperature, and electric field variations are investigated in detail based on the model. The results indicate that the model can contribute valuable insights into the physics of an air plasma discharge.     

Effect of a corona discharge on the gasdynamical flow rate

We have shown experimentally that the application of an electric field to an air stream blowing over a corona point has the additional effect of increasing the air velocity. This result is derived from the interaction of two factors. We have developed a model of the phenomenon which is based on electrostatic and hydrodynamic equations. The model provides an equation which relates the additional air velocity to the basic corona discharge parameters. The resulting function agrees with the experimental results.     

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.     

大气压下电晕电离层离子运动规律的实验研究

对大气压下电晕电离层的离子运动规律进行了实验研究。实验结果表明: 在电晕放电的流光或辉光放电区域, 电离电场强度、注入功率密度、电离能密度等参量对等离子体输运项的影响程度仅在1 个数量级内; 在电离能密度达到0. 4mJ•cm^{- 3} , 气体速度从1. 5m•s^{- 1} 提高到25m•s^{- 1} 时, 离子输运率相应从5. 4× 10⁸ cm^{- 3}•s^{- 1} 增加到8×10¹⁰ cm^{- 3}•s^{- 1} , 提高了近2 个数量级。带电粒子的动量对离子浓度及输运的影响远大于电离电场强度、注入功率密度等的影响。     

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。     

声脉冲法空间电荷测量系统的研究

气体中空间电荷的分布与电晕放电的机理紧密相关, 获取电晕放电过程中空间电荷分布对深入研究电晕放电起始、自持过程有着重要作用, 但是如何准确获得电晕放电过程中的空间电荷分布一直是国际上尚未解决的难题. 本文基于声脉冲法提出一种电场信号解耦算法, 推导了空间电荷在声场中被调制产生的电场信号与声脉冲信号和空间电荷密度之间的数值关系, 讨论了不同测量情况下声发射系统的设计要求; 搭建了一套可用于实时测量针板电极电晕放电空间电荷分布的非接触式测量系统, 该系统主要包括声脉冲发生模块、空间电荷模块及电场信号解耦算法模块. 运用该系统实现了声脉冲激发作用下电场信号的测量, 通过提出的电场信号解耦算法得到了空间电荷密度, 对其测量结果与电晕电流法测量结果进行比较, 验证了电场信号解耦算法的有效性. 该算法可以应用于空间电荷一维、二维和三维测量系统中.     

The study of the ionic wind blower with multi-needles/ring type electrodes disposed on inner wall of the cylindrical blower

Corona discharge is one of many methods that convert electrical power into mechanical force. It has been studied for various industrial fields because of its many advantages over conventional motor, such as its no moving parts, simpler structure, minimizing size and so on. In this paper, a discharge system with multiple corona electrodes disposed in a ring format, is studied by focusing on the electrical and mechanical characteristics. Effective ionic wind generation is due to the corona discharge which depends on electric field. Therefore, the electric field is affected by the voltage, discharge spacing, and distance between each corona electrodes.     

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 effect of the magnetic field on the positive corona discharge

Experimental results concerning the influence of the homogeneous magnetic field on the positive corona discharge between coaxial cylinders are presented. The change of the corona current due to axial magnetic field 0·6 T was observable at pressures below 4000 Pa in dry air. The influence on the initial and spark voltages has been investigated as well.     

Modelling of corona discharge in cylinder-wire-plate electrode configuration

Numerical computation of the electric field strength and ionic space charge density in electrode systems consisting of ionizing wire and non-ionizing cylinder, connected to the same DC high-voltage supply and facing a grounded plate, is a difficult problem, which is of interest to several electrostatic processes applications. In a previous study a simple numerical method has been proposed to calculate the spatial distributions of electric field and ionic space charge in a case of a continuum and uniform corona discharge originating at the surface of the wire. The aim of the present paper is to improve the physical model of the corona discharge in this particular electrode configuration, by assuming a more realistic law of charge injection on the wire circumference. The computations were carried out for an ionizing wire of radius r=0.1 mm, located at different distances h from a metallic tubular support of radius R=13.4 mm.The initial conditions of the corona discharge took into account the non-uniformity of the charge injection around the ionizing wire electrode. The computational results were compared with those obtained under the assumption of uniform corona discharge. The comparison pointed out that neither the non-uniformity of the electric field nor that of the charge injection can be neglected. They depend on the geometry of the electrode system and affect the distribution of the electric field and of the space charge density in the inter-electrode gap.     

雷云电场作用下长地线表面正极性辉光电晕放电的仿真研究

在雷云电场的缓慢作用下, 一种无流注的正极性辉光电晕在接地物体表面起始, 向周围空间注入大量正极性空间电荷, 从而改变雷电先导对雷击目的物的选择. 本文对雷云电场作用下起始于长地线表面的正极性辉光电晕放电进行了仿真研究; 考虑了正极性离子与其他离子的附着与碰撞作用, 建立了一种精确的二维正极性辉光电晕模型; 并通过在实验室内开展高压电晕放电试验, 测量了不同背景电场下的电晕电流; 与本文所建模型的仿真结果进行对比, 对模型的正确性进行了验证. 基于上述模型, 对正极性辉光电晕在雷云感应作用下的起始发展过程与电晕特性进行了仿真模拟, 得到了该电晕的电晕电流、正离子密度分布规律以及正离子迁移规律. 发现在雷云电场作用下, 电晕放电产生的正离子在迁移初期于垂直于地线的平面内基本呈圆对称状均匀分布, 但随着离子逐渐远离地线其分布不再均匀, 呈拉长的椭圆形分布, 多数离子最终分布于地线上方区域并逐渐向雷云方向迁移; 由于正离子在地线上方迁移区聚集形成的正空间电荷背景对行进电子束具有衰减和消耗作用, 抑制了电子崩的形成, 并降低了电子崩转化为流注的概率, 阻止了新的电子崩对流注的不断注入, 同时正空间电荷背景使气体的碰撞面增大, 增加了与电子的复合概率, 引起大量电子的消耗, 最终抑制了电子崩的形成与流注的发展, 地线表面的上行先导得到抑制.