
How Does Disruptive Critical Voltage Relate to Overhead Lines?
2025-08-10Professional Answer: Understanding the disruptive critical voltage is essential for designing efficient and reliable overhead transmission lines. When the operating voltage of a line surpasses this critical value, the resulting corona discharge causes several adverse effects:
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Energy Loss: Corona discharge dissipates electrical energy in the form of light, sound, and heat, leading to power loss and reduced transmission efficiency.
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Radio Interference: The ionization process generates high-frequency noise that can interfere with radio and television signals.
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Conductor Degradation: The ozone produced during corona can chemically react with and corrode the conductor materials over time.
To mitigate these issues, engineers must design power lines with a disruptive critical voltage higher than the line's operating voltage. This is typically achieved by using larger-diameter conductors or bundle conductors, which increase the effective radius and reduce the electric field gradient at the conductor surface.