Multi-Scale Simulation of Electromagnetic Wave Excitation by Positive Corona Discharge in SF6 Gas

Corona discharge is a typical discharge in gas-insulated equipment; however, the correlation between microscopic discharge process and macroscopic electromagnetic (EM) wave signals excited by discharge remains unclear. Therefore, this study innovatively employs the space current pulse as a bridge to reveal their relationship through the multi-scale simulation. First, the needle-plate discharge process in SF ₆ gas is simulated based on a fluid dynamics model. Then, the effects of voltage, temperature, and the curvature of needle tip on the space current pulse are investigated. Lastly, the current pulses generated under varying conditions serve as excitation sources, and the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is utilized to establish correlations between the corona discharge stages and discharge conditions and the amplitude-frequency characteristics of excited EM waves. The simulation results indicate that in the rising and falling stages of current pulse, the spectral energy is predominantly concentrated in the high frequency band (2.3-3.0 GHz) of the ultra-high-frequency (UHF) range, whereas the spectral energy constitutes the highest proportion within the mid-high frequency band (1.6–2.3 GHz) in the stabilization stage. As voltage, temperature, or the curvature of needle tip increases, there is a corresponding rise in the proportion of EM energy within both the low frequency band (0.2–0.9 GHz) and the mid-low frequency band (0.9–1.6 GHz), as well as in the mid-high frequency band; conversely, the proportion of energy within the high frequency band diminishes. The proposed multi-scale simulation method provides a novel way to obtain the characteristics of EM waves induced by partial discharge (PD) in gas.