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Charge Separation in Collisions Between Ice Crystals and a Spherical Simulated Graupel of Centimeter Size
Author(s) -
Luque Melina Y.,
Nollas Fernando,
Pereyra Rodolfo G.,
Bürgesser Rodrigo E.,
Ávila Eldo E.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1029/2019jd030941
Subject(s) - graupel , ice crystals , electric field , precipitation , materials science , range (aeronautics) , thunderstorm , liquid water content , electric charge , charge (physics) , analytical chemistry (journal) , meteorology , chemistry , physics , chromatography , composite material , cloud computing , operating system , quantum mechanics , computer science
This work reports a new laboratory study of the electric charge separated in collisions between a spherical target of 1 cm in diameter growing by riming and vapor‐grown ice crystals, with the objective of studying the charging behavior of the larger ice precipitation particles in thunderstorms in terms of the noninductive mechanism. A series of experiments was conducte d for a wide range of environmental conditions; the measurements were performed for effective liquid water content between 0.5 and 5 g m −3 , for ambient temperatures between −5 and −30 °C and at air speed of 11 m s −1 . The magnitude and sign of the electric charge transfer on the ice sphere as a function of the ambient temperature and the effective liquid water content is presented. The results show a charge reversal temperature for the riming target, which is roughly independent of liquid water concentration in the measured range. The simulated graupel charges negatively for temperatures below −15 °C, and positively at temperatures above −15 °C.