Current pulse characteristic analysis of typical void and point partial discharge based on PIC‐MCC method

The partial discharge (PD) in a void of epoxy solid insulation is a typical kind of PD behaviour, its occurrences may lead to complete breakdown of the insulation system. The microscopic process of particle movement is simulated here by using particle in cell‐Monte–Carlo collision (PIC‐MCC) method, which possesses great significance for researching typical discharge. The simulation results of void discharge and point discharge show detailed motion process and the Townsend discharge phenomenon. The PD current pulse waveform possesses similar trends of steep rising edge and gentle falling edge compared with Gaussian function. The behaviour of discharge events is influenced by many factors, such as electric field strength, void thickness, and polarity effect. Thus, the characteristics of PD are discussed and compared by adjusting these simulation parameters to find out internal connection and performance differences.