中国海拔4650米处长空气间隙放电通道曲折度研究

Variations in air pressure, temperature, and humidity at high altitudes affect the discharge characteristics of long air gaps and the variability of discharge channel tortuosity. The degree of zigzagging was believed to influence the breakdown voltage and discharge path of the gap; however, there was a lack of relevant experimental and research support. In this study, the effect of the high-altitude environment on the tortuosity of the long air gap discharge path was investigated. The experiments were conducted in Tibet at an altitude of 4650 m. The discharge voltages, currents, and optical frames of different types of electrodes (rod, sphere, and corona ring plane) were investigated for different gap lengths. The results showed that both the deviation angle  φ and the bending angle β followed a normal distribution. Both gap distance and electrode type affected the degree of tortuosity. The study also identified a three-phase development pattern in the discharge channel through K-means clustering analysis. At an altitude of 4650 m, the average deflection angle was 12.7° with a standard deviation of ±10.0°. At higher altitudes, the data were more dispersed with a wider probability density curve, while at lower altitudes, the curve was more concentrated. The findings of this study provided valuable data for air discharge simulation and high voltage engineering projects under high altitude environments.