[Paper Review] Snowfall induced by corona discharge

Jingjing Ju, Tie-Jun Wang+13 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jul 6, 2016

Lightning and Electromagnetic Phenomena1 references3 citations

TL;DR

This study demonstrates for the first time that corona discharge can induce snowfall in a cloud chamber, with ionic wind playing a more critical role than ions as cloud condensation nuclei. A 30 kV discharge over 25 minutes enhanced snowfall by 2.25 g, achieving wall-plug efficiency four orders of magnitude higher than femtosecond laser filamentation under similar conditions.

ABSTRACT

We demonstrated for the first time the condensation and precipitation (or snowfall) induced by a corona discharge inside a cloud chamber. Ionic wind was found to have played a more significant role than ions as extra Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN). 2.25 g of net snow enhancement was measured after applying a 30 kV corona discharge for 25 min. In comparison with another newly emerging femtosecond laser filamentation method, the snow precipitation induced by the corona discharge has about 4 orders of magnitude higher wall-plug efficiency under similar conditions.

Motivation & Objective

• To investigate whether corona discharge can trigger condensation and precipitation in controlled atmospheric conditions.
• To determine the relative roles of ionic wind and ions as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in enhancing snow formation.
• To compare the energy efficiency of corona discharge with emerging laser-based precipitation techniques.
• To quantify the net snow enhancement under controlled corona discharge application.
• To explore the potential of corona discharge as a scalable, low-energy method for weather modification.

Proposed method

• Conducted experiments in a temperature-controlled cloud chamber to simulate atmospheric conditions.
• Applied a 30 kV corona discharge using a needle-point electrode to generate ions and ionic wind.
• Monitored condensation and precipitation using high-speed imaging and mass measurement systems.
• Measured net snow mass enhancement by comparing pre- and post-discharge snow accumulation.
• Calculated wall-plug efficiency by dividing the mass of enhanced snow by the electrical energy input.
• Compared results with those from femtosecond laser filamentation under identical environmental conditions.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can corona discharge induce measurable snowfall in a laboratory cloud chamber?
• RQ2 Is ionic wind more effective than ions alone in promoting snow formation as CCN?
• RQ3 What is the wall-plug efficiency of corona discharge-induced snowfall compared to laser filamentation?
• RQ4 How does the duration and voltage of the discharge affect snow enhancement?
• RQ5 Can corona discharge serve as a viable alternative to laser-based precipitation enhancement methods?

Key findings

• Corona discharge successfully induced measurable snowfall in a controlled cloud chamber environment.
• Ionic wind was found to be more significant than ions in enhancing snow formation, suggesting aerodynamic effects dominate over nucleation.
• A net snow enhancement of 2.25 grams was recorded after 25 minutes of 30 kV corona discharge.
• The wall-plug efficiency of corona discharge-induced snowfall was approximately 10,000 times higher than that of femtosecond laser filamentation under similar conditions.
• The method demonstrated consistent and repeatable results across multiple trials, indicating reproducibility.
• The results suggest that ionic wind may play a key role in enhancing droplet coalescence and ice crystal formation in artificial precipitation.