Positive corona in air using a point/cup electrode system

Abstract

The authors have previously published some measurements of negative corona currents in air using a spherically-symmetric point/cup electrode system, and also the related simulations. In this paper the corresponding current/voltage measurements and simulations for positive-point corona, again using the highly symmetric electrode system, are described. Although the corona onset voltages are again predicted with reasonable accuracy for different point radii and air pressures, the currents are very much lower, presumably due to the effect of positive space charge accumulating close to the point electrode (since the simulations assume the absence of space charges). In agreement with this assumption, the streamer pulses are only seen at or just above the onset voltage. Only avalanches occur from about 1 kV above the onset voltage.