The characteristics of negative corona discharge and radio interference at different altitudes based on coaxial wire–cylinder gap

Abstract The corona discharge from transmission lines in high-altitude areas is more severe than at lower altitudes. The radio interference caused thereby is a key factor to be considered when designing transmission lines. To study the influence of altitude on negative corona characteristics, an experimental platform comprising a movable small corona cage was established: experiments were conducted at four altitudes in the range of 1120‒4320 m, and data on the corona current pulse and radio interference level of 0.8-mm diameter fine copper wire under different negative voltages were collected. The experimental results show that the average amplitude, repetition frequency and average current of the corona current pulse increase with increasing altitude. The dispersion of pulse amplitude increases with increase in altitude, while the randomness of the pulse interval decreases continuously. Taking the average current as an intermediate variable, the relationship between radio interference level and altitude is obtained. The result of this research has some significance for understanding the corona discharge characteristics of ultra-high-voltage lines.