Basic Electrophysical Characteristics of Natural Three-Phase Dispersed System “A Storm Cloud−Earth”

Abstract

The results of engineering calculation of basic electrophysical characteristics of a three-phase dispersed system of the Earth troposphere “storm cloud-earth”, in the cloud of which a bearing gaseous air phase contains fine liquid water drops and small solid dielectric particles, are present-ed. The indicated characteristics are as follows: the total electric charge qΣ concentrated in a storm cloud of a given spherical volume V0 with finely dispersed charged inclusions in the form of water droplets of the radius rw and solid dielectric particles of the radius rd with the given cor-responding average volume densities Nw and Nd, respectively; the electric potential φr in the spherical volume V0 of a storm cloud with a specified outer radius R0; the electrical energy W0 accumulated in the volume V0 of a storm cloud with finely dispersed inclusions ; and the amplitude and temporal parameters of the pulse current iL(t) of the lightning in the plasma channel of a long air spark electrical discharge from the storm cloud to the ground. It is shown that at rw ≈ rd ≈ 5 μm, Nw ≈ 108 m-3, Nd ≈ 5106 m-3, R0 ≈ 895 m and the height of the center of a spherical storm cloud (with its volume of V0 ≈ 3109 м3) H0 ≈ 3000 m above the ground level, the following numerical values (in modulus) of the sought parameters of the system under consideration could be obtained: the accumulated cloud charge of qΣ ≈ 43.8 C; the electric potential on the outer cloud surface of φR ≈ 439 MV; the electric energy of W0 ≈ 9.61 GJ; the amplitude of the lightning current of ImL ≈ 218.5 KА corresponding to the time tmL ≈ 11.1 μs. The obtained results are in a good agreement with known experimental data related to the atmospheric electricity. They will contribute to a possibility of predicting thunderstorm conditions in the Earth troposphere with the minimal initial meteorological information, the further development of the nature of the atmospheric electricity, the physics of the linear lightning and solving the problem of the lightning protection of air and ground facilities and their personnel.