Corona ion induced atmospheric potential gradient perturbations near high voltage power lines

James C Matthews, Jonathan P Ward, Paul A Keitch, Denis L Henshaw

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

High voltage power lines are known to produce corona ions that can be carried from the line by the wind, progressively attaching to ambient aerosol particles and causing fluctuations in the Earth's atmospheric potential gradient. A fixed site monitoring station was installed near two power lines, which recorded the potential gradient at 1 s intervals and the ambient weather conditions every 10 min. The station ran continuously from January 2007 to December 2008, accumulating long-term data. Results from 2008 show an increase in potential gradient variability when a wind is blowing across the power lines towards the station, indicating that corona ions may be present in this environment.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5093-5100
JournalAtmospheric Environment
Volume44
Issue number39
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2010

Keywords

  • corona ions
  • space charge
  • atmospheric electricity
  • power lines

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