The corona discharge and its application to voltage stabilization

The properties of a gas discharge which make it suitable for voltage stabilization are discussed. Various types of corona discharge are described, and it is shown that a corona discharge between a wire anode mounted axially in a cylindrical cathode is the most suitable for voltage stabilization. To obtain the required low impedance it is necessary to use hydrogen as the filling gas. The effect of dimensions on the voltage and impedance of the discharge is discussed, and characteristics of various tubes which have been developed as corona voltage stabilizers covering a range of 350¿7000 volts are shown. Finally some of the applications of such tubes and their appropriate operating conditions are given.