Experimental Approach to Shielding and Reducing Effects on Ion Currents and Electric Fields at Earth Level under a DC Transmission Line

Abstract

Use of a d. c. transmission line to find a way to reduce ion currents and electric fields at earth level is a most important matter for environmental safety. This paper discusses the relation between the ion currents and the electric fields at earth level, measured by using a unipolar d. c. transmission line scale model and a bipolar d. c. transmission line. Electric fields at earth level were calculated by means of the image charge method without taking into consideration the space charge caused by the d. c. line. The middle scale models for the unipolar and the bipolar d. c. lines were set at the height of the d. c. lines at 2m. Both types of scale models were set up in a sufficiently spacious room. Two small scales for the unipolar and the bipolar d. c. lines, with the height of the d. c. lines set at 20cm above the earth and the separating distance between the two d. c. lines set at 35 to 75cm, were placed in a suitable roomo. Both the experimental results are discussed here in comparison with the calculated fields. As a conclusion, in using the model unipolar d. c. line with a shielding wire, the shielding effects for both the electric fields and the ion currents at earth level nearly coincided with the calculated fields. However, in using the model bipolar d. c. lines, the reducing effect for the ion currents dind't coincide with the ealculated fields, actually not quite half of the calculated fields. In particular, the ion currents, at earth level on the positive voltage side were reduced very well, relative to those on the negative voltage side. They were measured in relation to the ratio of the separating distance of the bipolar d. c. lines to the the height of the d.c. line from earth level.