Influence of an External Air Flow on a System of High-Voltage Asymmetrical Electrodes

The paper deals with the problem of ascertaining the value of air flow velocity necessary to prevent electric current through the motion of ionized air between two asymmetrical electrodes. By means of this experiment, the authors aim to prove the ion basis for the phenomenon of a mechanical force generated by a system of asymmetrical electrodes connected to high voltage. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to precisely map the vector field of the air flow around the electrodes. The calculated and measured values of air flow velocity are compared, and good agreement between them is found.