Study of the breakdown voltage of the air in high altitudes, applying lightning impulses (1.2/50 /spl mu/s) under conditions of controlled humidity and temperature

Air as insulating material has been studied a lot. However, for altitudes greater than 2000 meters above sea level, not many projects have been accomplished. The international standard establishes correction factors for atmospheric conditions that have not yet been studied for low-pressure conditions. This article presents a study of the air breakdown at the altitude of Santafe de Bogota (2540 m above sea level) applying lightning impulse voltages (LIV: 1.2/50 /spl mu/s) for the two polarities and controlling humidity and temperature with the objective of determining the influence of the atmospheric conditions in the behavior of air as insulation at high altitudes.