Negative DC Corona Discharge Research Articles

Negative DC corona discharge current characteristics in a flowing two-phase (air + suspended smoke particles) fluid

The electrical characteristics of a steady-state negative DC corona discharge in a two-phase fluid (air with suspended cigarette smoke particles) flowing along a chamber with a needle-to-plate electrode arrangement were experimentally investigated. The two-phase flow was transverse in respect to the needle-to-plate axis. The velocity of the transverse two-phase flow was limited to 0.8 m/s, typical of the electrostatic precipitators. We found that three discharge current modes of the negative corona exist in the two-phase (air + smoke particles) fluid: the Trichel pulses mode, the “Trichel pulses superimposed on DC component” mode and the DC component mode, similarly as in the corona discharge in air (a single-phase fluid). The shape of Trichel pulses in the air + suspended particles fluid is similar to that in air. However, the Trichel pulse amplitudes are higher than those in “pure” air while their repetition frequency is lower. As a net consequence of that the averaged corona discharge current in the two-phase fluid is lower than in “pure” air. It was also found that the average discharge current decreases with increasing suspended particle concentration. The calculations showed that the dependence of the average negative corona current (which is a macroscopic corona discharge parameter) on the particle concentration can be explained by the particle-concentration dependencies of the electric charge of Trichel pulse and the repetition frequency of Trichel pulses, both giving a microscopic insight into the electrical phenomena in the negative corona discharge. Our investigations showed also that the average corona discharge current in the two-phase fluid is almost unaffected by the transverse fluid flow up to a velocity of 0.8 m/s.

Electrostatic particle precipitation in a two-phase fluid in a needle-to-plate negative DC corona discharge

Electrostatic particle precipitation in a two-phase fluid in a needle-to-plate negative DC corona discharge

Temporal and spatial evolution of EHD particle flow onset in air in a needle-to-plate negative DC corona discharge

In this paper we present images showing the temporal and spatial evolution of the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow of dust particles (cigarette smoke) suspended in still air in a needle-to-plate negative DC corona discharge arrangement just after the corona onset, i.e. in the first stage of development of the EHD particle flow. The experimental apparatus for our study of the EHD flow onset consisted of a needle-to-plate electrode arrangement, high voltage power supply and time-resolved EHD imaging system based on 2D time-resolved particle image velocimetry equipment. The time-resolved flow images clearly show the formation of a ball-like flow structure at the needle tip just after the corona discharge onset, and its evolution into a mushroom-like object moving to the collecting electrode. After a certain time, when the mushroom-like object is still present in the interelectrode gap a second mushroom-like object forms near the needle electrode and starts to move towards the collecting electrode. Before the first mushroom-like object reaches the collecting electrode several similar mushroom-like objects can be formed and presented simultaneously in the interelectrode gap. They look like a series of mushroom-like minijets shot from the needle electrode vicinity towards the collecting electrode. The simultaneous presence of mushroom-like minijets in the interelectrode gap in the corona discharge in particle-seeded air resembles the negative-ion-charged ‘clouds’ (induced by the Trichel pulses) traversing simultaneously the interelectrode gap of the corona discharge in air, predicted a long time ago by Loeb, and Lama and Gallo and recently by Dordizadeh et al. Analysing the time behaviours of the mushroom-like minijets and current waveform in the corona discharge in particle-seeded air, we found that the Trichel pulse trains, formed just after the corona onset initiates the mushroom-like minijets. The first stage of development of the EHD particle flow, the area of which is practically limited to the interelectrode duct, ends when the first mushroom-like minijet reaches the collecting electrode.

Analysis of the electric field development and the relaxation of electron velocity distribution function for nanosecond breakdown in air

Using theoretical and experimental methods, the electric field and the electron multiplication in direct vicinity of a sharp cathode is analysed. The development of the electric field in the pre-breakdown phase of the atmospheric pressure air negative DC corona discharge in the Trichel pulse regime is determined. During the following ultra-fast electrical breakdown, the emission of selected spectral bands of the nitrogen molecule is recorded with high spatiotemporal resolution using the time-correlated single photon counting method. The emission of a Townsend discharge is used to calibrate the setup for the quantitative determination of electric field. Therefore, the Trichel pulse corona and Townsend discharge cell are arranged in the same single-table setup. This direct calibration procedure is described step-by-step including the discussion of known limitations. Finally, the electric field development of the positive streamer passing the 160 μm distance in less than two nanoseconds is determined.Due to the high spatiotemporal gradients of the electric field strength within the streamer breakdown, the local field approximation of the electron component is analysed by investigating numerically the temporal and spatial electron relaxation by means of the solution of the electron Boltzmann equation and Monte Carlo simulation. Results of these computations are given for several reduced electric field values and prove that the electrons are in a hydrodynamic equilibrium state for experimentally given space and time scales for reduced fields above 100 Td.

Improvement in ionization efficiency of direct analysis in real time-mass spectrometry (DART-MS) by corona discharge.

Herein it is shown that a combination of direct analysis in real time (DART) with a corona discharge system consisting of only a needle electrode easily improves DART ionization efficiency. Positive and negative DC corona discharges led to a formation of abundant excited helium atoms as well as the reactant ions H3O(+)(H2O)n and O2˙(-) in the DART analyte ionization area. These phenomena resulted in an increase in the absolute intensities of (de)protonated analytes by a factor of 2-20 over conventional DART. The other analyte ions detected in this corona-DART system (i.e., molecular ions, fragment ions, oxygenated (de)protonated analytes, dehydrogenated deprotonated analytes, and negative ion adducts) were quite similar to those obtained from DART alone. This indicates a lack of side reactions due to the corona discharge. The change in the relative intensities of individual analyte-related ions due to the combination of a corona discharge system with DART suggests that there is no effect of the abundant excited helium in the analyte ionization area on the fragmentation processes or enhancement of oxidation due to hydroxyl radicals HO˙. Furthermore, it was found that the corona-DART combination can be applied to the highly sensitive analysis of n-alkanes, in which the alkanes are ionized as positive ions via hydride abstraction and oxidation, independent of the type of alkane or the mass spectrometer used.

Negative DC corona discharge effects on the ultraviolet photon count in rod to plane air gaps

In order to investigate the effects of negative DC corona discharge on ultraviolet (UV) photon count, a corona discharge measurement system based on rod to plane air gaps was established. The variations of positive ion, negative ion, and electron densities were calculated with a fluid model, and the generation process of photons during negative corona discharge was investigated. The differences of photon count and the variation of charged particles between negative and positive corona were also compared. The corona current, Trichel pulses, and corona‐generated photons were measured with increasing applied voltage. An approximate parabolic relationship found to exist between the photon count and the corona current, and also an ideal quadratic function was found to exist between the photon count and the frequency of Trichel pulses. These results provide a solid foundation in the application of UV imaging detection of negative DC corona discharge in power equipment. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Surface potential decay of DC-corona-charged PET films on humid electrodes

Surface potential decay measurement is a widely used tool to test the electrical properties of insulation materials. The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the effect of a humid electrode on the surface potential decay process. The experiments are performed on 1-mm thick samples of PET films (50 mm × 50 mm) in ambient air (temperature: 25 °C–29 °C; relative humidity: 42%–48%). The samples are placed on a grounded humid electrode (aluminum plate covered by a humid textile: 52 mm × 52 mm), and are charged by exposing them for 10 s to the negative DC corona discharge generated by a high-voltage wire-type dual electrode.The results show that the humid electrode has a significant influence on the surface potential evolution during the first moments after corona charging. Bipolar charge injection is the main physical mechanism that explains this potential decay.

Numerical investigation of the formation of Trichel pulses in a needle-plane geometry

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the formation of the Trichel pulses in negative dc corona discharge for a needle-plane configuration in atmospheric air. A 2D axisymmetric model of the problem considering three charged species and consisting of a hyperboloid needle with a tip radius of 35 μm and needle-plane spacing of 6 mm over the voltage range of −3.5 kV to −12 kV has been studied. A commercial finite element package COMSOL was used for simultaneously solving three convection-diffusion equations along with Poisson’s equation. In order to obtain a better understanding of the processes which lead to the pulse formation, a close look is taken at one of the pulses. The distributions of the major charged species and the timeline of peak-values of charged species densities and electric field are presented. Through tracing the evolution of the locations of the peak densities of the charged species some new insights have been provided. The configuration of the model was chosen so that the simulation results could be compared with the experimental data published by Lama and Gallo. The numerical results were in acceptable agreement with the experimental values. Some explanations are given for the discrepancies between experimental and simulation results. It is also shown, that as the frequency of the pulses increases with voltage, the transition from Trichel pulse discharge to glow discharge initiates and full glow discharge is reached at −12 kV.

Numerical Simulation of the Characteristics of Electrons in Bar-plate DC Negative Corona Discharge Based on a Plasma Chemical Model

In order to explore the characteristics of electrons in DC negative corona discharge, an improved plasma chemical model is presented for the simulation of bar-plate DC corona discharge in dry air. The model is based on plasma hydrodynamics and chemical models in which 12 species are considered. In addition, the photoionization and secondary electron emission effect are also incorporated within the model as well. Based on this model, electron mean energy distribution (EMED), electron density distribution (EDD), generation and dissipation rates of electron at 6 typical time points during a pulse are discussed emphatically. The obtained results show that, the maximum of electron mean energy (EME) appears in field ionization layer which moves towards the anode as time progresses, and its value decreases gradually. Within a pulse process, the electron density (ED) in cathode sheath almost keeps 0, and the maximum of ED appears in the outer layer of the cathode sheath. Among all reactions, R1 and R2 are regarded as the main process of electron proliferation, and R22 plays a dominant role in the dissipation process of electron. The obtained results will provide valuable insights to the physical mechanism of negative corona discharge in air.

Trichel Pulse in Negative DC Corona discharge and Its Electromagnetic Radiations

We investigate in this paper the radiated electromagnetic waves together with the discharge characteristics of Trichel pulse of negative DC corona discharge in air in pin-to-plate and wire-to-plate configurations. The feature of the current pulse and the frequency spectrum of the electromagnetic radiations were measured under various pressures and gas gaps. The results show that the repetition frequency and the amplitude of Trichel pulse current depend on the discharge conditions, but the rising time of the pulse relates only to the radius of needle or wire and keeps constant even if the other conditions (including the discharge current, the gas gap and the gas pressure) change. There exists the characterized spectrum of electromagnetic waves from negative corona discharge in Trichel pulse regime. These characterized radiations do not change their frequency at a given cathode geometry even if the averaged current, the gas gap or the air pressure changes, but the amplitude of radiations changes accordingly. The characterized electromagnetic radiations from Trichel pulse corona relate to the formation or the rising edge of current pulse. It confirms that the characterized radiations from Trichel pulse supply information of discharge system and provide a potential method for detecting charged targets.

Characteristics of negative DC corona discharge in a wire–plate configuration at high temperatures

High-temperature electrostatic precipitators for removing dust from fuel or flue gases were proposed to improve energy efficiency or to avoid damaging downstream equipment. This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive understanding of negative DC corona discharges and find ways to increase corona stability at high temperatures. The characteristics of corona discharges were studied in a wire–plate discharge configuration under different discharge gaps and electrode geometries at temperatures ranging from 293K to 1173K. The V–I characteristics were analyzed, including corona onset/spark voltages, operating voltage ranges, and corona current compositions. The discharge current density increases as the temperature increases, and the electron-carried current becomes significant at high temperatures. For example, the electron-carried current makes up ∼40% of the total discharge current at 1073K under an applied voltage of 10kV. The applied voltage range decreases as the temperature increases. The corona discharges become unstable, and localized breakdowns occur frequently when the temperature exceeds 1073K and the discharge gap is less than 50mm, because the ionization coefficient and the number of electrons greatly increase. The operating voltage range increases from 8.2kV to 13.6kV at 1073K when the discharge gap increases from 30mm to 70mm. Compared with the wire and spiral electrodes, the ribbon electrodes produce sparks more easily. The wire diameter has little influence on the spark voltage and corona stability at high temperatures.

An analytical method for DC negative corona discharge in a wire-cylinder device at high temperatures

Abstract This paper proposes an analytical solution for DC negative corona discharge in a wire-cylinder device based on experimental results in which both the corona and drift regions are considered; this approach aims to provide a theoretical method for analyzing electrostatic precipitation at high temperatures. The inter-electrode space is divided into three zones, namely, the ionization layer, the attachment layer (corona region) and the drift region, to investigate the space charge concentration and the electric field distribution. The boundary of the ionization layer is assumed to be the radius at which the rate of ionization balances that of electron attachment. The radius where the value of E/N equals 110 Td is recommended as the boundary of the attachment layer. It was determined that an increasing temperature leads to a decrease in the largest space charge number density and the largest electric field in the drift region that can be provided by a discharging device. With respect to the device in the present work, when the temperature increases from 350 °C to 850 °C, the largest electric field decreases from ∼9 × 106 V/m to ∼3 × 106 V/m, and the largest charge number density decreases from ∼1.3 × 1015 m−3 to 6.4 × 1014 m−3. The radius of the corona region, the space charge number density and the electric field increase as the applied voltage increases at a given temperature. For example, at a temperature of 550 °C, when the applied voltage increases from 10,500 V to 18,879 V, the radius of the corona region increases from ∼2.9 mm to ∼4.9 mm. It appears to be unreasonable to use a constant value that is calculated from Peek's formula as the electric field at the surface of the cathode under all of the conditions.

DC negative corona discharge in atmospheric pressure helium: transition from the corona to the ‘normal’ glow regime

Direct current (dc) negative corona discharges in atmospheric pressure helium are simulated via detailed numerical modeling. Simulations are conducted to characterize the discharges in atmospheric helium for a pin plate electrode configuration. A self-consistent two-dimensional hybrid model is developed to simulate the discharges and the model predictions are validated with experimental measurements. The discharge model considered consists of momentum and energy conservation equations for a multi-component (electrons, ions, excited species and neutrals) gas mixture, conservation equations for each component of the mixture and state relations. A drift–diffusion approximation for the electron and the ion fluxes is used. A model for the external circuit driving the discharge is also considered and solved along with the discharge model. Many of the key features of a negative corona discharge, namely non-linear current–voltage characteristics, spatially flat cathode current density and glow-like discharge in the high current regime are displayed in the predictions. A transition to the ‘normal’ glow discharge from the corona discharge regime is also observed. The transition is identified from the calculated current–voltage characteristic curve and is characterized by the radial growth of the negative glow and the engulfment of the cathode wire.

Current analysis of DC negative corona discharge in a wire-cylinder configuration at high ambient temperatures

Abstract To study the characteristics of DC negative corona discharge in a wire-cylinder configuration at an ambient temperature range of 350–850 °C, the I – V characteristics and the current composition are analyzed under different conditions. A simple method is proposed to determine the DC corona onset threshold voltage. At high ambient temperatures, in the DC negative corona discharge gap, some electrons are not attached to the electronegative gas molecules and move to the anode tube. Thus, these electrons form an electron current, which may account for most of the total discharging current. The ratio of the electron current to the total discharging current increases with increasing temperature. In a mixture of O 2 and N 2 and a mixture of CO 2 and N 2 , the ratio of electron current increases with increasing N 2 content in the mixtures. The cathode material has little influence on the corona discharge characteristics at high ambient temperatures.

Experimental Study of Ozone Generation by Negative Corona Discharge in Mixtures of N2 and O2

Ozone generation by negative DC corona discharge in N2-O2 mixtures has been experimentally investigated using a coaxial wire-cylinder corona reactor operating at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The experiments have been carried out under different gas flows (15 cm3 min−1 to 200 cm3 min−1) and gas compositions (5% to 90% of O2), and the effect of these parameters on the corona current, the ozone density and the efficiency of the ozone generator have been analyzed. The global rate coefficients for ozone formation and destruction have also been evaluated, and their values compared with those reported by other authors. The maximum efficiency for ozone production was found in gas mixtures with oxygen content about 70–80%.

Ozone generation by negative direct current corona discharges in dry air fed coaxial wire-cylinder reactors

An analytical study was made in this paper for calculating the ozone generation by negative dc corona discharges. The corona discharges were formed in a coaxial wire-cylinder reactor. The reactor was fed by dry air flowing with constant rates at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, and stressed by a negative dc voltage. The current-voltage characteristics of the negative dc corona discharges formed inside the reactor were measured in parallel with concentration of the generated ozone under different operating conditions. An empirical equation was derived from the experimental results for calculating the ozone concentration generated inside the reactor. The results, that have been recalculated by using the derived equation, have agreed with the experimental results over the whole range of the investigated parameters, except in the saturation range for the ozone concentration. Therefore, the derived equation represents a suitable criterion for expecting the ozone concentration generated by negative dc corona discharges in dry air fed coaxial wire-cylinder reactors under any operating conditions in range of the investigated parameters.

Effect of the experimental parameters on the number of free electrons in the drift region of a wire-cylinder electrostatic precipitator

Abstract The aim of this paper is to highlight the number evolution of free electrons in the drift region of a wire-cylinder electrostatic precipitator in negative voltage depends on the experimental parameters, more particularly of gas composition. A numerical model of the negative DC corona discharge developed by Chen et al. was used and modified to investigate the negative discharge corona for different gases. A parametric study was conducted to examine the effect on the electron distribution of operating conditions. The results showed the electron concentration increases with temperature, decreases when the pressure increases, and is closely related to gas composition.

Investigation on Microcosmic Characteristics of Trichel Pulse in Bar-Plate DC Negative Corona Discharge Based on a Novel Simulation Model

An improved multi-component two-dimensional hybrid model is presented for the simulation of Trichel pulse corona discharge in dry air (O2:N2=1:4). The model is based on the plasma hydrodynamics and the chemical models, in which 12 species (e, O, O2, O3, O2+, O4+, O2-, O-, N2, N2+, N4+, and N2O2+) and 27 collision reactions between them are considered. In addition, the photoionization and secondary electron emission effect are also incorporated within the model as well. The simulation is established with a bar-plate electrode configuration with an inter-electrode gap of 3.3 mm where the negative DC voltage applied to the bar is 5.0 kV, the pressure in air discharge is fixed at 1.0 atm, and the gas temperature is assumed to be a constant (300 K). Based on the novel model, a few key microcosmic characteristics such as electric field distribution, net charge density distribution, electron density distribution at 5 typical time points during a process of Trichel pulse are discussed emphatically. What is more, the investigation on electron generation and disappearance rates, as well as positive ion, negative ion and neutral particle distribution characteristic along the axis of symmetry in the later Trichel pulse cycle are also detailed. The obtained results will provide valuable insights to the physical mechanism of negative corona discharge in air

Comparison of styrene removal in air by positive and negative DC corona discharges

This communication discusses styrene removal in air by positive and negative DC corona discharges. Experiments were performed with a wire-plate reactor and under a gas flow rate of 305 m3/h. In terms of averaged applied voltage and corona current, it is observed that the maximum negative corona current is always at least two times larger than the positive one at the same voltage level. At the same corona discharge energy density, however, the positive corona discharge produces around 2–6 times more ozone in comparison with the negative corona. For styrene removal, the positive corona processing is also around 2–6 times more effective than the negative corona. Humidity, an important and variable component of ambient air, affects the positive corona processing significantly. But it exerts a moderate effect on the negative corona. The differences between positive corona and negative corona discharges are attributed to their different discharge properties.

Detection of SF6 decomposition products generated by DC corona discharge using a carbon nanotube gas sensor

This paper describes application of carbon nanotube (CNT) gas sensor to detection of SF6 decomposition products generated by positive or negative DC corona discharge. The present authors have demonstrated CNT gas sensor-based partial discharge (PD) detection, aiming to develop a new diagnosis method of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) filled with high pressure SF6 gas. In our previous studies, PD was generated by ac high voltage because most of GIS are designed and operated for conventional high voltage ac (HVAC) power transmission lines. In recent years, however, the electrical power industry has shown a trend shifting from HVAC to high voltage dc (HVDC) power transmission, which has many advantages such as higher power capacity and lower power loss. This technological trend motivated us to explore and expand the application of CNT gas sensor to detection of SF6 decomposition products generated by dc corona discharges. It was found that the CNT gas sensor exhibited significant response to dc corona discharge depending on the voltage polarity. In order to elucidate the mechanism of the polarity effect, SF6 decomposition products were analyzed by Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as well as using a gas detection tube. Based on comparison between the polarity effects on the CNT sensor response and the decomposition products, a possible contribution of HF to the CNT gas sensor response was suggested.