The corona discharge 0821-9016-9755 ega

Introduction
Corona literally means the disk of light that appears around the sun. the term
was brrowed by physicists and electrical engineers to describe generally the partial
discharge that develop in zones of highly concentrated electric fields, such as at the
surface of a pointed or cyilindrical electrode opposite to and at some distansce
from another. This partial breakdown of air is quite distinct in nature and
appearance from the complete breakdown of air gaps between electrodes. The
same applies for other gases.
The corona is also distrinct from the disarg dischargesthat take place inside
gas bubbles within solid and liquid insulation, although the underlying phenomena
of gas discharges are the same. The corona discharge is accompanied by a number
of observable effects, such as visible light audible nois, electric curren, energy loss,
radio interference, mecanikal vibrations, and cemical reactions, the chemical
reactions that accompany corona in air produce the smell of ozone and nitrogen
oxsides.
Corona has long been a main conceren for power transmission engineers
because of the power loss it causes on the noice it causes in radio and tv reseption.
On the other hand, corona does have several beneficial applications, as in van de
graaff generators, electrostatic precipitators, electrostatic printing, electrostatic
deposition, ozone production, and ionization counting (berg and hauffr 1972).
Mechanism of corona discharge
The discharge process depends on the polarity of the applied voltage. Therefore, it
will be discussed first for each polarity under dc.
Positive corona
At the onest level, and slightly above, there exists a small volume of space at the
anode where the filed strength is high enough for ionization by collision, It produces
an electron avalanche (chapter).
The cloud of positive ions produced at the avalance head near the anode forms an
eventual exsensionto the anode. Secondary generations of avalanches get directed
to the anode and to these dense clouds of positive ions (fig. 5.1). this mode of
corona consists of what are called onset streamers. If conditions are favorable, the
high filed space at the anode may suit the formation of streamers extending
tangentially onto the anode called burst-pulse streamers(loeb, 1965).
At slightly higher voltages a cloud of negative may from (fig. 5.1) near the
anode surface such that the onset-type streamers become very numerous. They are
short that in length, overlap in spase and time, and the discharge takes the from of

a glow covering a significant part of the hv circuit becomes a quasisteady current

(fig. 5.2). this is in contrast with current pulsess corresponding to onset streamers
(fig. 5.2) (giawo and Jordan, 1967; khalifa, 1979). The positive current pulse
corresponds to a succession of generations of electron avalanches taking plase in
the ionization zone at the anode (khalifa and abdel-salam, 1973).
At still higher voltages a could of negative ions at the anode can no loger
maintain their stability and get ruptured by violent pre-breakdown streamer,
corresponding to irregular, high amplitude curren pulses (fig. 5.1 and 5.2). if we
continue to raise the voltage, breakdown eventually occurs across the air gap.
Figure 5.3 present the range for each type of corona discharge with positive dc
voltage applied across a point-to-plane gap (Nasser, 1971).
Negative corona
At the onset level and slightly higher, the corona at the catode has a rapidly
and steadily pulsating mode known as trichel pulse corona. Each current pulse
corresponds to one main electron avalanche occurring in the ionization zone (fig.
5.4) (khalifa and abdel-salam, 1974; zeitoun et al. , 1976). In this case the ionization
zone extends fron the catode surface outward and as far as the poin where the filed
becomes too weak for the ionization by collision to compensate for the electron
attachment. Beyond sucha point, more and more of the avalanche electrons get
attached
PRE-BREAKDOWN STREAMER
Fig. 5.1 development of the first and subsequent generations of avalanches in
positive corona discharges.
Fig. 5.2 photographs and corresponding current oscilograms of different modes of
positive corona. [from giao and Jordan (1967).]
Fig. 5.3 onset voltages of various positive corona models and sparkover voltage as
functions of poin-to-plane gap spacing. (courtesy of E. Nasser and wileyinterscience.)
To gas molecules and from negative ions which continue to drift very slowly
away from the cathode. During the process of avalanche growth, some photons get
radiated from the avalanche core in all directions (fig. 5.4). the photoelectrons thus
produced can start subsidisry avalanches that are directed from the cathode. The
motion of the electrons and ions away from and that of positive ions toward it
correspond to the corona current pulses flowing through the high voltage circuit, as
shown in figure 5.5a, and could easily be computed.
With an increase in applied voltage, the trichel pulses increase in a repetitive
rate up to a critical level at which the negative corona gets into the steady

negative glow mode (figs. 5.4 and 5.5b). at still higher voltages pre-breakdown of
the gap (figs. 5.4 and 5.5c).

Fig. 5.4 development of electron avalanches in negative corona discharges.

AC Corona
The basic difference between ac and dc coronas is the periodic change in
direction of the applied field under ac, and its influences on the residual space
charge left over from the discharge during preceding half-cycles (fig. 5.6). thus
positive onset streamers and burst-pulse streamers may appear only over an
extremely small range of voltage at onset, fllowed by a positive glow. Both negative
trichel pulses and negative glow can be observed in an ac corona. If the applied
voltage has a suitable magnitude depending on the electrode geometry, bolth
positive and negative glows and streamer coronas can be observed in each cycle.
Fig. 5.5 photographs and corresponding current osilllograms of various modes of
negative corona.[from giao and jordan (1967).]
Fig. 5.6 AC corona current for a symmetrical gap between two parallel conductors a
and b. note that when the voltage Va-b is below the corona-onset level Vc, the
corona current corresponds to the motion and recombination of residual ions in the
gap between the high-voltage conductors the periods shown in the oscillogram.
Impulse corona
Under impulse voltages, the corona starts in an air gap almost clear of any
space charge. Therefore, electron avalanches and streamers extend over significant
distances. The onset streamers produced and their branches can easily from
trances on photographic films in contact with the anode or cathode, in what is
known as lichtenberg figures (fig. 5.7). such a figure cannot be prodused by dc
because of the choking effect of accumulating clouds of space charges. Under ac a
very large number of traces get superimposed on each other.
On long HV transmission lines, the current corresponding to corona
discharges under the traveling extra high voltage surges has the beneficial effect of
reducing the surge peak and front strepness, as shown by experiment and
compuration (chapter). thus their stresses on the power system insulation are
relived.
Fig. 5.7 photographic teaces of corona discharge under impulse voltage (lichtenbreg
figures); (a) positive polarity, (b) negative polarity.
THE CORONA ONSET LEVEL

It has well estabilished by experiment and by comporation that corona

discharge starts at surfaces of HV electrodes and conductors when their surface
voltage gradients reach a critical value Eo. The magnitudeof Eo depends on the
voltage polarity and on the pressure and temperature of the amblent gas. Humidity
has a minor effect. The air pressure p (kPa) and temperature ( C) are usually
combined into one factor the relative air density, referred to STP. Thus

A+ and A- are in the recepective ranges 31 to 39.8 and 29.4 to 40.3; B+ and
B- are, correspondingly, 11.8 to 8.4 and 9.9 to 7.3.
Under ac, a slightly higher field strength Ev corresponds to corona being
clearly visible on the conductor surface and could be experessed as Ev=30 (1+0.3/
r) kv peak /cm, r being the conductor radius in centimeters.
The Corona Onset Voltage
This could easily be calculated using Eo or E once the conductor
arrangement and dimensions are known. Methods of field calculations were
discussed in chapter 2. It should be realixed that field calculations would normally
be based on the assumption of perfectly clean smooth conductor ;different from
practical conditions. At any point of mocroroughness on a practical conductor
surface the field would be highly concentrated and the critical field strength for
corona onset would be reached there while the average field strength over the
entire surface would be considerably lower. A corresponding surface factor should
be taken into account while estimating the corona onset voltage Vo for the
conductor arrangement. This factor is usually taken as about 0.6 for new rough
stranded conductors and about 0.85 for weathered conductors.
Example
A there pase single circuit overhed line has a bundle of two conductors per
phase arranged as shown in figure 5.8. it is aviden that the surface field strength is
higher at the middle phase than at the over phases. The difference is normally
about 7% for practical line diminsions. The filed strength at the surface of the
middle phase conductors is in terms of the line voltage V :

(5.4)
For a given conductor radius r, relative air density , and conductor surface
factor, the line voltage corresponding to corona onset on the middle pase could be

estimated. The effect of conductor bunding and of hight above ground could also be

calculated.
Fig. 5.8 conductor arrangement for a three phase transmission line with single
conductors (a) and with bundle conductors at the same level (b).

Camputation of DC Corona onset voltages

Onset voltages of dc corona could be estimated using the relation (5.3). they
could also be computed according to an algorithm based on the ionization and
deionization process acting in the corona discharge of either polarity
Case of positive polarity
The frist avalanche proceeds toward the anode and ends at its surtvace. It
develops a cloud of positive ions, and photons are emitted from its core. If at least
one photoelectron is produced during the lifetime of the first avalanche. The
discharge would be self sustaining and the applited voltage the electron and ion
populations of the successive avalanches and their motion could be computed and
hence the positive corona current pulse
Case of negative polarity
In this cace electron avalanches start at the conductor surface and extend
outward up to the distance where almost all of their electrons have formed negative
ions by attachment to gas molecules. The numbers of electrons, ions, and photons
could be computed. Photons were shown to be the main contributors to the
emission of electrons from the cathode. The criterion for onset is that at least one
photo electron is emitted by the photons of the first avalance, to keep the discharge
self sustaining. The computed onset voltages were in good argement with
experiment (khalifa and abdel salam 1974b). also the current pulse shapes could be
computed.
Corona onset on bipolar dc lines

It is know that the onset voltage gradient for a positive corona is slightly
lower than that for a negative corona. Therefore, the voltage level corresponding to
positive corona onset can be calculated according to the method described above
for monopolar corona. At the negative conductor, which has not yet reaced its
corona onset level, there are positive corona discharge at the positive conductor.
These ions enhance the filed intensity at the negative conductor and cause a corona
to start at a voltage slightly lower than the value calculated for the monopolar case.
This slight difference could also be computed (abdel salam and khalifa, 1977).
Possible corona in the compressed air and sf 6
Because sulfur hexafluoride is an electron negative gas, it has a high affinity
for electron attachement. This makes it more difficult for electron avalanches to
grow. Thus corona and spark over occur at voltages conciderably higher than those
in air. Above a certain critical gas pressure sparkover occurs across the gas gap
without any preceding corona (selection 4.4). at such high pressures the coefficient
of ionization by collision becomes lower than the coefficient of electron
attachement. Thus electrons produced at the cathode by photoemission and filed
emission would have to contribute more substantially to the discharge in order to
maintain its stability.
Corona power loss
Empirical formulas have been suggested for evaluating corona losses on ac
lines and on both monopolar and bipolar dc lines.
Ac lines
Empirical formulas were suggested early in this century by peek and Peterson
for estimating Pc, the fair weather corona losses of overhead transmission lines.
Because of several flaws, peeks formula was superseded by that of Peterson, which
takes the from

Where f is frequency V the line voltage , and D and r the phase conductor
separation and radius. K is a factor depending on the ratio of the operating voltage
V to the corona onset line voltage Vo (fig . 5.9).
A much more recent and more scientific approach was the computer program
developed. In propely designed transmission lines the corona loss in fair weather is
usually insignificant. Typical values measured range from 0.3 to 1.7

kw/conductor/km for 500 kv lines and from 0.7 to 17 kw/conductor/km for 700 kv
lines.

Fig 5.9 factor k to be used in Petersons corona loss formula as a function of the per
unit operating voltage referred to the corona onset voltage.
Effect of conductor bundling
For transmission lines with bundled conductors, petersons formula can be
modified by including the capacitance geometric mean radius of the bundle instead
of the single conductor radius. Naturally, the separation between subconductors in
the bundle has an effect on the amount of corona loss. There is an optimal
separation between subconductors in the bundle that corresponds to minimum
corona loss.
Effects of weather
The principal weather parameter are air temperature, pressure, wind,
humidity, rain, snow, and dust. The air temperature and pressure are included in
the factor . No perceptible effect of wind could be noticed on the ac corona. The
same goes for humidity unless it approaches 100%.
Dc lines
In unipolar dc lines, we have only ions of one polarity in the space between
conductors, and between the conductors and ground. With bipolar lines, however,
we have both positive and negative ions in the interconductor space and there is a
high probability for ion recombination.
In comparison with ac lines having equral per unit effective voltages with
respect to the corona onset levels, the fair weather three phase ac lines. On the
other hand, inceases in bipolar line corona loss with voltage and in foul weather are

not as rapid as in the case of ac lines. The effects of atmospheric humidity and wind
could be measured and computed.

Fig. 5.10 appearance of bipolar dc corona on two conductors, 6.5 mm in diameter

and 45 cm apart, 63 kv, and at different wind speeds. The conductor arrangement
is indicated.
Corona noise
Corona noise includes interference with radio. Television and