Article
Toward a fundamental model for steady point-plane corona discharges
Journal of Applied Physics
(1984)
Abstract
A mathematical model expressed in prolate spheroidal coordinates is developed from fundamental equations for steady state corona discharges from needle‐to‐plane electrodes. The bases of the theory are the Poisson and current continuity equations coupled with a mobility model for the transport of the charge carriers. The potential and field are constrained to be consistent with boundary conditions at the plane electrode, the surface boundary of the glow discharge, and the surface delineating the finite bound of the distribution of space charge. In the fully developed corona glow the steady state current is assumed to be limited by space‐charge fields at the glow boundary surface and a potential V0 across the glow region is required to sustain the discharge. An additional requirement is that the space‐charge region must satisfy a power‐balance equation. Utilizing current vector potential methods results in a current density exactly yielding Warburg’s law at the plane electrode. A current‐potential characteristic equation varying as the square of the potential drop across the space‐charge region is predicted, but because the space‐charge swarm is finite the current is collected from a finite area of the plane electrode only. The calculated potentials and fields are given in terms of quadratures. All of the solutions are exact in that no approximations are used in the calculations, and the solutions predict the assumed boundary values. An appendix discusses possible empirical tests of the theory.
Disciplines
Publication Date
January 1, 1984
DOI
10.1063/1.332878
Citation Information
Bob L. Henson. "Toward a fundamental model for steady point-plane corona discharges" Journal of Applied Physics Vol. 55 Iss. 1 (1984) p. 150 - 157 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/bob-henson/7/