Influence of thunderstorm-like wind velocities on point discharge corona currents

To study the influence of the wind speed on the generation of corona current in two different needles, a wind tunnel was designed and constructed. Needles were tested in a point-to-plane arrangement under laminar air flow. A constant background voltage is applied to the electrode arrangement, while air velocity varied from 0 m/s up to 16 m/s, a wind velocity near to thunderstorm conditions. Results show that the corona onset voltage of the needles is independent of the air velocity; however, the corona current magnitude increases with an increase of the air velocity.