Effect of humidity on the breakdown characteristics of air in uniform field for the very low frequency (VLF) band

The paper reports about the role of humidity and frequency on the electrical breakdown of air in uniform field gaps. Experiments were conducted on Rogowski-profile electrodes with gap lengths ranging from 5 to 53 mm at power frequency (60 Hz) and frequencies in the range of 18-50 kHz, corresponding to the VLF/LF bands used for long-range communication. The results show that breakdown voltage at VLF decreases with humidity, opposite to that observed at 60 Hz. Breakdown mechanisms for explaining this important phenomenon are proposed. A correction factor to calculate breakdown voltage as a function of humidity for VLF is presented.

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