The Current–Voltage Characteristics of Corona Discharge in Wire to Cylinder in Parallel Electrode Arrangement

Corona discharges are currently increasing in importance due to the wide range of applications in which they are involved. As the performance of the corona discharge is related to the operational conditions of the devices where it is used, the corona discharge current dependence on controllable parameters must be well understood. A series of measurements for positive and negative corona varying the distance between the electrodes was carried out for wire to cylinder in a parallel configuration. The experimental data were examined by using two empirical formulae, showing that the two expressions hold for both polarities. The empirical formulae have estimated current with the mean relative error less than 3% for positive corona and 6% for negative corona. Furthermore, the inception voltage and the dimensional parameters dependencies on the distance were also investigated, indicating that both are proportional to the exponent of the electrode gap. The validity of a prediction model to estimate the corona discharge current for a larger gap of 40 mm was also observed. Finally, a propulsion application of the derived equations was studied for positive and negative polarities. The investigation provides useful information about corona discharges for wire to cylinder in the parallel configuration, which could be used in applications such as propulsion systems.