Electrical properties of atmospheric moist air: A systematic, experimental study

Systematic new measurements of the electrical properties of atmospheric moist air in a closed container near sea level are presented. Data were taken using a vapor electrical conductivity cell of new design. The cell consisted of 40 parallel square plates, each 26.5 sq cm and separated by 0.66 cm. The cell insulators were isolated from the cell plates by use of a technique that completely eliminated insulator leakage as a source of experimental error. Thus, very sensitive measurements could be made in still or moving air even at near-saturation humidity. Measurements were made over a wide range of humidities and electric field strengths ranging from near zero to three kV per cm.