An Experimental and Numerical Study of Corona in a Cage with Sandy and Dusty Flow in High Altitude Area

In order to study the effect of the high-altitude and dusty weather in northwest of China on the corona characteristics of transmission lines, a corona caged based experimental system with sandy and dusty flow condition is numerically investigated and designed. This system overcomes the difficulties caused by harsh environment and offers easy usage for off-site tests. The design parameters are mainly determined by the characteristics of strong sandstorm in northwest region and test requirements. By the comparison of numerical simulation of the particle diffusion in four programs with rectangular or circular air-duct, a practical technology, which introduces swirl to control the particle diffusion length, is obtained. Accordingly, the structure of round air-duct with swirl elbow in inlet and outlet of high level segment is selected as final program. Systems of control and measurement are designed at the same time. Field tuning results show that the test system could ensure the range of sandy and dusty coverage. The wind speed, sandy and dusty concentration could be controlled and meet the requirements of accuracy. The experimental system has many features, such as simple structure, easy to be assembled, disassembled, transported and operated, small space occupied.