Experimental investigation of DC corona on stranded conductors under variable air density

Knowledge on the effects of air density on corona discharge is of great importance for many practical applications, including overhead transmission lines. In the present study the salient characteristics of both positive and negative DC corona on 7-stranded conductors, namely the corona inception voltage, corona current and the associated power losses, are experimentally investigated in the coaxial cylindrical electrode arrangement under variable air density. Theoretical predictions of the corona current and losses are in good agreement with experimental values for an ion mobility decreasing with relative air density according to a power law, the rate of decrease being higher for negative than positive ions. Irregularity factors for the 7-stranded conductors have been obtained based on electric field simulations and Peek's formula for smooth conductors. Logarithmic expressions, describing well the dependence of the irregularity factor on the product of relative air density and conductor radius, allow for a satisfactory estimation of the corona inception field strength of 7-stranded conductors.