What is Corona Effect?

March 23, 2011

One of the phenomena associated with all energized electrical devices, including high-voltage
transmission lines, is corona. The localized electric field near a conductor can e sufficientl!
concentrated to ionize air close to the conductors. This can result in a partial discharge of
electrical energ! called a corona discharge, or corona.
What is Corona?
"lectric transmission lines can generate a small amount of sound energ! as a result of
corona.
#orona is a phenomenon associated with all transmission lines. $nder certain conditions,
the localized electric field near energized components and conductors can produce a tin!
electric discharge or corona that causes the surrounding air molecules to ionize, or
undergo a slight localized change of electric charge.
$tilit! companies tr! to reduce the amount of corona ecause in addition to the low
levels of noise that result, corona is a power loss, and in e%treme cases, it can damage
s!stem components over time.
#orona occurs on all t!pes of transmission lines, ut it ecomes more noticeale at higher
voltages &3'( )* and higher+. $nder fair weather conditions, the audile noise from
corona is minor and rarel! noticed.
,uring wet and humid conditions, water drops collect on the conductors and increase
corona activit!. $nder these conditions, a crac)ling or humming sound ma! e heard in
the immediate vicinit! of the line.
#orona results in a power loss. -ower losses li)e corona result in operating inefficiencies
and increase the cost of service for all ratepa!ers. a ma/or concern in transmission line
design is the reduction of losses.
Source of Corona:
The amount of corona produced ! a transmission line is a function of the voltage of the
line, the diameter of the conductors, the locations of the conductors in relation to each
other, the elevation of the line aove sea level, the condition of the conductors and
hardware, and the local weather conditions. -ower flow does not affect the amount of
corona produced ! a transmission line.
The electric field gradient is greatest at the surface of the conductor. 0arge-diameter
conductors have lower electric field gradients at the conductor surface and, hence, lower
corona than smaller conductors, ever!thing else eing e1ual. The conductors chosen for
the #alumet to the line were selected to have large diameters and to utilize a two
conductor undle. This reduces the potential to create audile noise.
2rregularities &such as nic)s and scrapes on the conductor surface or sharp edges on
suspension hardware+ concentrate the electric field at these locations and thus increase
the electric field gradient and the resulting corona at these spots. 3imilarl!, foreign
o/ects on the conductor surface, such as dust or insects, can cause irregularities on the
surface that are a source for corona.
#orona also increases at higher elevations where the densit! of the atmosphere is less
than at sea level. 4udile noise will var! with elevation. 4n increase in 1000 feet of
elevation will result in an increase in audile noise of appro%imatel! 1 d5 &4+. 4udile
noise at (000 feet in elevation will ( d5 &4+ higher than the same audile noise at sea
level, all other things eing e1ual. The new #alumet to #omanche 3'( )* doule circuit
line was modeled with an elevation of 6000 feet.
7aindrops, snow, fog, hoarfrost, and condensation accumulated on the conductor surface
are also sources of surface irregularities that can increase corona. ,uring fair weather, the
numer of these condensed water droplets or ice cr!stals is usuall! small and the corona
effect is also small.
8owever, during wet weather, the numer of these sources increases &for instance due to
rain drops standing on the conductor+ and corona effects are therefore greater.
,uring wet or foul weather conditions, the conductor will produce the greatest amount of
corona noise. 8owever, during heav! rain the noise generated ! the falling rain drops
hitting the ground will t!picall! e greater than the noise generated ! corona and thus
will mas) the audile noise from the transmission line.
#orona produced on a transmission line can e reduced ! the design of the transmission
line and the selection of hardware and conductors used for the construction of the line.
9or instance the use of conductor hangers that have rounded rather than sharp edges and
no protruding olts with sharp edges will reduce corona. The conductors themselves can
e made with larger diameters and handled so that the! have smooth surfaces without
nic)s or urrs or scrapes in the conductor strands. The transmission lines proposed here
are designed to reduce corona generation.
TYPES OF CORONA:
There are three t!pes of corona.
4 glow discharge occurs at a gradient of appro%imatel! 20 )* rms:cm. ;low discharge is
a light glow off sharp points that does not generate o/ectionale 72*:T*2 or cause an!
audile noise.
4t aout 2( )* rms:cm, negative polarit! <rush= discharges occur. 3o named ecause
the appearance is similar to the round ends of a ottle rush. The audile noise associated
with rush corona is generall! a continuous ac)ground t!pe of hissing or fr!ing noise.
4t a gradient of around 30 )* rms:cm positive polarit! plume corona is generated. so
named ecause of its general resemlance to a plume. >hen viewed in the dar) it has a
concentrated stem that ranches and merges into a violet-colored, tree-li)e halo. The
audile noise associated with plume corona is a rather intense snapping and hissing
sound. -lume corona generates significant 72*:T*2.
These oservations are ased on fair weather conditions. $nder wet conditions virtuall!
all energized electrodes will e in corona of one form or another.
Man! are under the impression that the dielectric strength of air is greater under dr!
conditions. That is not true. 2n fact, the dielectric strength of air increases with increased
moisture up to the dew point when moisture egins to condense on the surface of
insulators and other components of the line.
Physical Parameters of Corona:
#orona is caused ! the ionization of the media &air+ surrounding the electrode
&conductor+
#orona onset is a function of voltage
#orona onset is a function of relative air densit!
#orona onset is a function of relative humidit!
1 Corona an! the Electric Fiel!
#orona is ?OT solel! a function of the "lectric 9ield
#orona is a function of the electric field on the surface of the electrode &conductor+
#orona is also a function of the radius of curvature of the electrode &conductor+
#orona is also a function of the rate of deca! of the electric field awa! from the electrode
&conductor+
9or the preceding reasons, selecting the conductor with the smallest electric field at its
surface is not correct.
" Corona an! the Relati#e Air $ensity
#orona has an inverse relationship with air densit!
3tandard line designs that perform well at sea level, ma! have significant corona issues if
used on lines that are installed over mountainous areas
% Corona an! the &umi!ity
#orona has an inverse relationship with humidit! at power fre1uencies
9air weather corona is more prevalent in low humidit! environments
' Corona is $e(en!ent Surface Con!ition of the Con!uctors
#orona is enhanced ! irregularities on the conductor surface
2rregularities include@ dust, insects, urrs and scratches and water drops present on new
conductors
#orona will generall! e greater on new conductors and will decrease to a stead!-state
value over a period of appro%imatel! one !ear in-service
#orona is significantl! increased in foul weather.
What)s The Fuss?
#orona from conductors and hardware ma! cause audile noise and radio noise
4udile noise from conductors ma! violate noise standards
7adio noise from conductors ma! interfere with communications or navigation
#orona loss ma! e significant when compared with resistive loss of conductors
#orona can cause possile damage to pol!meric insulators
*etho!s to re!uce Corona $ischar+e Effect:
#orona can e avoided
1. ,y minimi-in+ the #olta+e stress an! electric fiel! +ra!ient: This is accomplished !
using utilizing good high voltage design practices, i.e., ma%imizing the distance etween
conductors that have large voltage differentials, using conductors with large radii, and
avoiding parts that have sharp points or sharp edges.
2. Surface Treatments: #orona inception voltage can sometimes e increased ! using a
surface treatment, such as a semiconductor la!er, high voltage putt! or corona dope.
3. &omo+enous .nsulators: $se a good, homogeneous insulator. *oid free solids, such as
properl! prepared silicone and epo%! potting materials wor) well.
'. .f you are limite! to usin+ air as your insulator/ then !ou are left with geometr! as the
critical parameter. 9inall!, ensure that steps are ta)en to reduce or eliminate unwanted
voltage transients, which can cause corona to start.
(. 0sin+ ,un!le! Con!uctors: on our 3'( )* lines, we have installed multiple conductors
per phase. This is a common wa! of increasing the effective diameter of the conductor,
which in turn results in less resistance, which in turn reduces losses.
6. Elimination of shar( (oints: electric charges tend to form on sharp points. therefore
when practicale we strive to eliminate sharp points on transmission line components.
A. 0sin+ Corona rin+s: On certain new 3'( )* structures, we are now installing corona
rings. These rings have smooth round surfaces which are designed to distriute charge
across a wider area, there! reducing the electric field and the resulting corona
discharges.
B. Whether: #orona phenomena much worse in foul weather, high altitude
C. Ne1 Con!uctor: ?ew conductors can lead to poor corona performance for a while.
10. ,y increasin+ the s(acin+ 2et1een the con!uctors: #orona ,ischarge "ffect can e
reduced ! increasing the clearance spacing etween the phases of the transmission lines.
8owever increase in the phaseDs results in heavier metal supports. #ost and 3pace
re1uirement increases.
11. ,y increasin+ the !iameter of the con!uctor: ,iameter of the conductor can e
increased to reduce the corona discharge effect. 5! using hollow conductors corona
discharge effect can e improved.
Sources of Corona an! Arcin+ in Polymer .nsulators:
0oose hardware
#ontamination and surface trac)ing
Missing corona rings
,amaged or incorrectl! installed corona ring
,amaged end fittings or end fitting seal
"%posed internal rod due to@ #aronized internal rod ! internal discharges 3plit sheath
due to weathering
Electro *a+netic .n!uctions:
"M2 field or radio noise field from high-voltage transmission lines are caused ! corona,
which is essentiall! due to the electrical rea)down of the air surrounding the conductors
at higher voltage.
>hen the conductor surface electric field e%ceeds the corona onset electric field, a
partial electrical rea)down occurs in the surrounding air medium near the conductor
surface and is called the corona discharge. The increase of conductor surface gradient
ta)es place with increase of suppl! voltage. 2n addition, organic contamination or
attachment -of water droplets also ma! contriute to localized field enhancement.
>hen organic particles or water droplets are attached to the conductor surface, the charge
accumulation at that point increases which enhances the local electric field. The
intensification of surface gradient locall! leads to the corona discharge.
The streamer generated during corona discharge, transports electric charge into the
surrounding air during the discharge c!cle. These moving charges contriute directl! to
the noise fields. EThe! also cause currents to e induced on the transmission line
conductors. 3ince the charge is moved ! a time var!ing electric field, it is e1uivalent to
a current pulse and this >hen a communication line passes near the corridor of a 8* or
"8* transmission line, if the fre1uenc! of the radiated "M signal due to corona matches
with that of the transmitted signal on the communication line, then the communication
signal ma! get distorted. To mitigate this effect, the communication line should pass at a
safe distance awa! from the transmission line.
8ence there is a need to estimate the radiated "M1 signal in d5 at a given distance from
the 8* or "8* transmission line. 2n this paper, radiated "M1 in d5 is computed for a
single conductor high voltage over headline. This theoretical result is compared with the
pulished e%perimental results availale in the literature. 2n the computational wor),
earth is considered as an infinitel! conducting ground.
Physical !escri(tion of corona an! Electro *a+netic .n!uction:
>hen alternating suppl! voltage energizes the conductor, the conductor surface electric
field e%ceeds the corona on set electric field of the conductor. The corona discharge
occurs in oth positive and negative half c!cle. 3o the corona is divided into positive and
negative corona depending upon the polarit! of the suppl! voltage.
>hen the conductor is positive with respect to ground, an electron avalanche moves
rapidl! into the conductor leaving the heav! positive-ion charge cloud close to conductor,
which drifts awa!.
The rapid movements of electrons and motion of positive ions gives the steep front of the
pulse, while the further drift of positive ions will give slow tail of the corona pulse.
>hen conductor is negative with respect to the ground, an electron avalanche moves
awa! from the energized conductor and the positive heav! ions move towards the
conductor. 3ince the heav! positive ions are, moving towards the higher electric field,
their motion is ver! rapid which gives rise to a much sharper pulse than the positive
pulse. ,ue to rapid moment of the electrons from the conductor surface, the electric field
regains its original value at conductor surface ver! 1uic)l! than in the case of positive
polarit!. Thus the negative corona pulses are lower in amplitude and lower in rise and fall
times as compared to positive corona pulses. The! have also higher repetition rates than
the positive pulse
Corona $etection:
0ight $ltraviolet radiation@ #orona can e visile in the form of light, t!picall! a purple
glow, as corona generall! consists of micro arcs. ,ar)ening the environment can help to
visualize the corona.
3ound &hissing, or crac)ing as caused ! e%plosive gas e%pansions+@ Fou can often hear
corona hissing or crac)ing 3ound.
2n addition, !ou can sometimes smell the presence of ozone that was produced ! the
corona.
3alts, sometimes seen as white powder deposits on #onductor.
Mechanical erosion of surfaces ! ion omardment
8eat &although generall! ver! little, and primaril! in the insulator+
#aron deposits, there! creating a path for severe arcing
The corona discharges in insulation s!stems result in voltage transients. These pulses are
superimposed on the applied voltage and ma! e detected, which is precisel! what corona
detection e1uipment loo)s for. 2n its most asic form, the following diagram is a corona
&or partial discharge+ measuring s!stem@
2t is important that the voltage source and the coupling capacitor e%hiit low noise so as
not to oscure the corona. 2n its simplest form the pulse detection networ) is a resistor
monitored ! an oscilloscope. ,onDt dismiss this simple techni1ue as crude, as we once
used this method to oserve the presence of corona in an improperl! terminated high
voltage connector, even after a dedicated corona tester failed to find an!. #ommerciall!
availale corona detectors include electronic t!pes &as aove+ as well as ultrasonic t!pes.
Corona Calculations
The following corona calculations are from ,ielectric -henomena in 8igh *oltage
"ngineering
1 For Concentric Cylin!ers in Air:
#orona will not form when 7O : 72 G 2.A1B. &4rcing will occur instead when the voltage
is too high.+
" For Parallel Wires in Air:
#orona will not form when H : r G (.B(. &4rcing will occur instead when the voltage is
too high.+
% For E3ual S(heres in Air:
#orona will not form when H : 7 G 2.0'. &4rcing will occur instead when the voltage is
too high.+
4rcing difficult to avoid when H : 7 G B
>here
7O I 7adius of outer concentric sphere
72 I 7adius of inner concentric sphere
7 I 3phere radius
r I wire radius
H I ,istance etween wires or etween spheres
Effects of Corona:
415 Au!i2le Noise
,uring corona activit!, transmission lines &primaril! those rated at 3'( )* and aove+
can generate a small amount of sound energ!. This audile noise can increase during foul
weather conditions. >ater drops ma! collect on the surface of the conductors and
increase corona activit! so that a crac)ling or humming sound ma! e heard near a
transmission line. Transmission line audile noise is measured in deciels using a special
weighting scale, the <4= scale that responds to different sound characteristics similar to
the response of the human ear. 4udile noise levels on t!pical 230 )* lines are ver! low
and are usuall! not noticeale. 9or e%ample, the calculated rain! weather audile noise
for a 230 )* transmission line at the right-of-wa! edge is aout 2( d54, which is less
than amient levels in a lirar! and much less than ac)ground noise for wind and rain.
4"5Ra!ios an! Tele#ision .nterference:
Overhead transmission lines do not, as a general rule, interfere with radio or T*
reception.
There are two potential sources for interference@ corona and gap discharges. 4s descried
aove, corona discharges can sometimes generate unwanted electrical signals.
#orona-generated electrical noise decreases with distance from a transmission line and
also decreases with higher fre1uencies &when it is a prolem, it is usuall! for 4M radio
and not the higher fre1uencies associated with T* signals+.
#orona interference to radio and television reception is usuall! not a design prolem for
transmission lines rated at 230 )* and lower. #alculated radio and T* interference levels
in fair weather and in rain are e%tremel! low at the edge of the right-of-wa! for a 230 )*
transmission line.
;ap discharges are different from corona. ;ap discharges can develop on power lines at
an! voltage. The! can ta)e place at tin! electrical separations &gaps+ that can develop
etween mechanicall! connected metal parts. 4 small electric spar) discharges across the
gap and can create unwanted electrical noise. The severit! of gap discharge interference
depends on the strength and 1ualit! of the transmitted radio or T* signal, the 1ualit! of
the radio or T* set and antenna s!stem, and the distance etween the receiver and power
line. &The large ma/orit! of interference complaints are found to e attriutale to sources
other than power lines@ poor signal 1ualit!, poor antenna, door ells, and appliances such
as heating pads, sewing machines, freezers, ignition s!stems, a1uarium thermostats,
fluorescent lights, etc.+.
;ap discharges can occur on ro)en or poorl! fitting line hardware, such as insulators,
clamps, or rac)ets. 2n addition, tin! electrical arcs can develop on the surface of dirt! or
contaminated insulators, ut this interference source is less significant than gap
discharge.
8ardware is designed to e prolem-free, ut corrosion, wind motion, gunshot damage,
and insufficient maintenance contriute to gap formation. ;enerall!, interference due to
gap discharges is less fre1uent for high-voltage transmission lines than lower-voltage
lines. The reasons that transmission lines have fewer prolems include@ predominate use
of steel structures, fewer structures, greater mechanical load on hardware, and different
design and maintenance standards.
;ap discharge interference can e avoided or minimized ! proper design of the
transmission line hardware parts, use of electrical onding where necessar!, and !
careful tightening of fastenings during construction. 2ndividual sources of gap discharge
noise can e readil! located and corrected. 4rcing on contaminated insulators can e
prevented ! increasing the insulation in high contamination areas and with periodic
washing of insulator strings.
4%5 6aseous Effluents
#orona activit! in the air can produce ver! tin! amounts of gaseous effluents@ ozone and
?OH. Ozone is a naturall! occurring part of the air, with t!pical rural amient levels
ranging from aout 10 to 30 parts per illion &pp+ at night and pea)s at appro%imatel!
100 pp. 2n uran areas, concentrations e%ceeding 100 pp are common. 4fter a
thunderstorm, the air ma! contain (0 to 1(0 pp of ozone, and levels of several hundred
pp have een recorded in large cities and in commercial airliners.
Ozone is also given off ! welding e1uipment, cop! machines, air fresheners, and man!
household appliances. The ?ational 4mient 4ir Jualit! 3tandard for O%idants &ozone is
usuall! C0 to C( percent of the o%idants in the air+ is 120 pp, not to e e%ceeded as a
pea) concentration on more than one da! a !ear.
2n general, the most sensitive ozone measurement instrumentation can measure aout 1
pp. T!pical calculated ma%imum concentrations of ozone at ground level for 230 )*
transmission lines during heav! rain are far elow levels that the most sensitive
instruments can measure and thousands of times less than amient levels. Therefore, the
proposed transmission lines would not create an! significant adverse effects in the
amient air 1ualit! of the pro/ect area.
4'5 .n!uce! Currents
3mall electric currents can e induced ! electric fields in metallic o/ects close to
transmission lines. Metallic roofs, vehicles, vine!ard trellises, and fences are e%amples of
o/ects that can develop a small electric charge in pro%imit! to high voltage transmission
lines. O/ect characteristics, degree of grounding, and electric field strength affect the
amount of induced charge.
4n electric current can flow when an o/ect has an induced charge and a path to ground
is presented. The amount of current flow is determined ! the impedance of the o/ect to
ground and the voltage induced etween the o/ect and ground.
The amount of induced current that can flow is important to evaluate ecause of the
potential for nuisance shoc)s to people and the possiilit! of other effects such as fuel
ignition.
The amount of induced current can e used to evaluate the potential for harmful or other
effects. 4s an e%ample, when an average woman or man grips an energized conductor,
the threshold for perception of an electric current is 0.A3 milli ampere &m4+ and 1.1 m4,
respectivel!. 2f the current is graduall! increased e!ond a personDs perception threshold,
it ecomes othersome and possil! startling.
8owever, efore the current flows in a shoc) situation, contact must e made, and in the
process of estalishing contact a small arc occurs. This causes a withdrawal reaction that,
in some cases, ma! e a hazard if the involuntar! nature of the reaction causes a fall or
other accident.
The proposed 230 )* transmission lines will have the highest electric field within the
right-of-wa!, appro%imatel! 0.2 to 1.( )* per meter &)*:m+, and appro%imatel! 0.1 to
0.C )*:m at the edge of the right-of-wa!. These fields are less than man! other 230 )*
transmission lines due to the use of cross-phasing on the doule-circuit lines and higher
clearance aove ground. 2nduced currents have een calculated for common o/ects for a
set of worst-case theoretical assumptions@ the o/ect is perfectl! insulated from ground,
located in the highest field, and touched ! a perfectl! grounded person. "ven though the
ma%imum electric field onl! occurs on a small portion of the right-of-wa!, and perfect
insulation and grounding states are not alwa!s common, the calculated induced current
values are ver! low therefore, in most situations, even in the highest field location,
induced currents are elow the threshold of perception and are far elow hazardous
levels.
4gricultural operations can occur on or near a transmission line right-of-wa!. 2rrigation
s!stems often incorporate long runs of metallic pipes that can e su/ect to magnetic field
induction when located parallel and close to transmission lines. 5ecause the irrigation
pipes contact moist soil, electric field induction is generall! negligile, ut anno!ing
currents could still e e%perienced from magnetic field coupling to the pipe. -ipe runs
laid at right angles to the transmission line will minimize magneticall! induced currents,
although such a la!out ma! not alwa!s e feasile. 2f there are induction prolems, the!
can e mitigated ! grounding and:or insulating the pipe runs. Operation of irrigation
s!stems eneath transmission lines presents another safet! concern. 2f the s!stem uses a
high-pressure nozzle to pro/ect a stream of water, the water ma! ma)e contact with the
energized transmission line conductor. ;enerall!, the water stream consists of solid and
ro)en portions. 2f the solid stream contacts an energized conductor, an electric current
could flow down the water stream to someone contacting the high-pressure nozzle.
Transmission line contact ! the ro)en-up part of the water stream is unli)el! to present
an! hazard.
475 Fuel .+nition
2f a vehicle were to e refueled under a high-voltage transmission line, a possile safet!
concern could e the potential for accidental fuel ignition. The source of fuel ignition
could e a spar) discharge into fuel vapors collected in the filling tue near the top of the
gas tan).
The spar) discharge would e due to current induced in a vehicle &insulated from ground+
! the electric field of the transmission line and discharged to ground through a metallic
refueling container held ! a well-grounded person. Theoretical calculations show that if
a numer of unli)el! conditions e%ist simultaneousl!, a spar) could release enough
energ! to ignite gasoline vapors. This could not occur if a vehicle were simpl! driven or
par)ed under a transmission line. 7ather, several specific conditions would need to e
satisfied@ 4 large gasoline-powered vehicle would have to e par)ed in an electric field of
aout ( )*:m or greater. 4 person would have to e refueling the vehicle while standing
on damp earth and while the vehicle is on dr! asphalt or gravel. The fuel vapors and air
would have to mi% in an optimum proportion. 9inall!, the pouring spout must e metallic.
The chances of having all the conditions necessar! for fuel ignition present at the same
time are e%tremel! small.
*er! large vehicles &necessar! to collect larger amounts of electric charge+ are often
diesel-powered, and diesel fuel is less volatile and more difficult to ignite. The proposed
230 )* transmission line electric field levels are too low &aout 0.2-1.( )*:m on the
right-of-wa!+ for the minimum energ! necessar! for fuel ignition under an! practical
circumstances.
485 Car!iac Pacema9ers
One area of concern related to the electric and magnetic fields of transmission lines has
een the possiilit! of interference with cardiac pacema)ers. There are two general t!pes
of pacema)ers@ as!nchronous and s!nchronous. The as!nchronous pacema)er pulses at a
predetermined rate. 2t is practicall! immune to interference ecause it has no sensing
circuitr! and is not e%ceptionall! comple%. The s!nchronous pacema)er, on the other
hand, pulses onl! when its sensing circuitr! determines that pacing is necessar!.
2nterference resulting from the transmission line electric or magnetic field can cause a
spurious signal in the pacema)erDs sensing circuitr!. 8owever, when these pacema)ers
detect a spurious signal, such as a 60 hertz &8z+ signal, the! are programmed to revert to
an as!nchronous or fi%ed pacing mode of operation and return to s!nchronous operation
within a specified time after the signal is no longer detected. The potential for pacer
interference depends on the manufacturer, model, and implantation method, among other
factors.
3tudies have determined thresholds for interference of the most sensitive units to e
aout 2,000 to 12,000 milli gauss &m;+ for magnetic fields and aout 1.( to 2.0 )*:m for
electric fields. The electric and magnetic fields at the right-of-wa! edge are elow these
values, and on the right-of-wa!, onl! the lower ound electric field value of 1.( )*:m is
reached. Therefore, the potential impact would not e significant.
4:5 Com(uter .nterference
-ersonal computer monitors can e susceptile to 60 8z magnetic field interference.
Magnetic field interference results in disturances to the image displa!ed on the monitor,
often descried as screen distortion, </itter,= or other visual defects. 2n most cases it is
anno!ing, and at its worst, it can prevent use of the monitor. Magnetic fields occur in the
normal operation of the electric power s!stem.
This t!pe of interference is a recognized prolem ! the video monitor industr!. 4s a
result, there are manufacturers who specialize in monitor interference solutions and
shielding e1uipment. -ossile solutions to this prolem include@ relocation of the
monitor, use of magnetic shield enclosures, software programs, and replacement of
cathode ra! tue monitors with li1uid cr!stal displa!s that are not susceptile to 60 8z
magnetic field interference. 5ecause these solutions are widel! availale to computer
users, potential impacts would e less than significant
CORONA R.N6:
The ring, which surrounds the energized end of the transformer ushing, serves two
functions.
2t is a corona ring that is intended to electricall! shield the ushing terminal and
connections. 2t does so ! reducing the voltage gradient to a level well elow the ionizing
gradient of the surrounding air at the ma%imum transformer output voltage.
2tDs also a grading ring, which helps electricall! grade the e%ternal voltage on the ushing
from line to ground &at the ushing flange+. The ushing is li)el! a condenser ushing,
which contains a capacitance-graded core to grade the voltage radicall! from 100K at the
central conductor to ground at the flange and, a%iall! from ground to the top and ottom
ends of the core.
;rounding the test transformer following a circuit rea)er test is necessar! for safet! ut
!ou are grounding the entire test circuit. not /ust the corona ring. 2 suspect the corona ring
/ust happens to e a convenient attachment point for the hoo) on !our ground stic).
,ie cast are usuall! 3B0, sand and permanent mold 3(6 or 43(6, and faricated rings are
usuall! made from 6061 thin wall tuing or pipe that is formed and welded. with
appropriate rac)ets and other mounting provisions.
#orona grading ring should e designed to reduce the critical dielectric voltage gradient
&t!p. 20 to 30 )*rms:cm+ to prevent corona effect, internal discharge and reduce "-field
in live parts and fitting that cause radio: T* interference &72*+, audio noise and losses.
#orona ring could also help to smooth the voltage profile distriuting the voltage more
uniform along the insulator preventing concentration of over stresses.
9or porcelain post insulators, some manufacturer recommends one corona ring and for
(00 )* and aove two rings. 8owever, for composite insulator the corona ring is
recommended for 220:230 )*. Most e1uipment manufacturer provide corona ring ase
on testing such surge arrester, switches, #TDs:-Ts, etc.
$ifference 2et1een Arcin+ &orn 6a( an! Corona Rin+:
4t transmission line voltage the arcing horns, when the rea)er is closed normall! have
nothing e%cept corona from the tips and arc mar)s, the instant the rea)er egins to open
an arc is estalished across the gap etween the arc horns, when the gap is long enough
the arc rea)s. The plan is to )eep the sliding contacts from getting arc metal removal so
the contacts maintain low resistance, arcing horns are sacrificial.
4t switchgear voltage, there are arc chutes and usuall! puffers to e%tinguish the arc
during rea)er opening, the arc chutes ma! e of a sand-cr!stal cast material &li)e space
shuttle heat tiles+, asestos la!ers, and electrical insulating oard to protect the wor)s
during an e%plosive event when temperatures get hotter than the sun. There is specific
?9-4 training for arc flash e%posure.
4rcing horns are also commonl! used to protect insulation from impulse and other
overvoltages. The horn gap &distance etween arcing horns+ is set to ensure that flashover
occurs across the gap rather than along the insulation surface there! protecting the
insulation surface and preventing arc termination and associated damage to the end
terminals or line and ground end hardware. The! ma! also e used to connect a surge
arrester to protect transformers and other e1uipment from overvoltage surges &gapped
arrester+. 4 gapped connection is one method of preventing line loc)out in the event of
arrester failure
#orona rings are meant to distriute the electrical field and neither the hardware
protected or the corona ring should have corona, the t!pical line voltage that corona rings
are applied is 1(0L* and higher, altitude or high temperatures can reduce the voltage to
13BL* lines. -roperl! designed corona rings do not have corona.
#orona can appear to start and stop at essentiall! the same voltage, there are other
variales. #orona produces light &from $* thru visile and into the infrared+, sound &thru
all wavelengths+, ozone, and nitric acid &in the presence of moisture+.
4rcing arrestors were used long ago, some of the old-old transmission lines. The! were
opposing arcing fingers mounted in parallel with the insulators. the gap determined the
flash-over voltage. The intent was to protect insulators from lightening surges. 2 donDt
)now if those old lines are energized an!more. Fou donDt see arcing fingers on modern
&post >>22 war+ transmission lines.
To rea) an arc the voltage must e decreased elow aout 60K of the voltage an arc
starts at, thus if a transmission line insulator arcing arrestor flashes over and maintains an
arc the line is going to e shutdown. Thus arcing arrestors &without an arc e%tinguishing
capailit!+ decrease the reliailit! of a transmission line.