Effect of relative humidity on current–voltage characteristics of monopolar DC wire-to-plane system

• We analyze the influence of humidity on the corona discharge.
• The electric field is higher at increased the relative humidity.
• The effect of electrode geometry on the current–voltage characteristics.
• The per unit electric field and current density are also represented by a unique function.

This paper deals with the DC monopolar corona discharge in wire-to-plane geometry under variable humid air conditions. The classical formulas of Townsend commonly used for the current–voltage characteristics were used to determine the various corona parameters for the both polarities of the corona discharge. A circular biased probe has been adapted to the plane and is used to measure the ground plane current density and electric field during the monopolar corona discharge. A new approach to the problem of corona discharge in transmission system has been described in this paper. The effect of varying the humidity and wires diameter is also investigated. The values of the electric field and the current density are maximum beneath the corona wire and decrease when moving away from them and the current–voltage characteristics follow the quadratic Townsend's law. The experimental results show that the monopolar corona discharge is strongly affected by the air humidity. The current density and the electric field are measured and compared with the computed values. The agreement between the calculated values and those obtained experimentally is satisfactory. The per unit electric field and current density are also represented by a unique function.