Simulation of Tip Defect Discharge Process under the Influence of Multiple Physical Fields

Partial discharge can pose a serious threat to electrical device’s insulation effectiveness. Monitoring partial discharge is crucial for the operation and maintenance of electrical equipment, and streamer discharge is a predominant form of gas discharge is observed within the high-voltage field. and a key issue in partial discharge research. Meanwhile, due to the complex and diverse operating environment of power equipment, they will be exposed to different external environments such as humidity and air pressure during long-term operation. Therefore, exploring the impact of different external conditions on the insulation defect discharge process is of great significance for accurately evaluating partial discharge data. This paper examines the research status regarding the impact of external parameters on the discharge process both domestically and internationally. Based on the hydrodynamic model, a streamer discharge simulation model with tip defects is built in the COMSOL environment. Using the above hydrodynamic model, how external parameters influence the streamer discharge process with tip gap of 3mm is studied, and the method of changing the physical fields such as air pressure and humidity in the hydrodynamic model is studied. The simulation results show that a decrease in air pressure will accelerate the propagation speed of the streamer, slightly decrease the maximum electric field intensity at the streamer head, and exacerbate the ionization degree of the streamer discharge; An increase in humidity will accelerate the propagation speed of the streamer, and the impact on the maximum electric field intensity of the streamer head is not significant, which will exacerbate the ionization degree of the streamer discharge.