Simulation study of the effect of electrode polarity on microscale corona discharge characteristics

Abstract The occurrence and application scenarios of micro-scale corona discharge are diverse, and the effect of micro-scale corona discharge mechanism and needle electrode polarity on corona discharge characteristics is still unclear. This paper establishes a microscale simulation model of pin-plate DC positive and negative corona fluid chemical reactions. The phenomenon of positive and negative corona discharge is being investigated. The internal discharge mechanism is analyzed from the microscopic point of view. Results demonstrate that positive corona discharge generates space charges that reduce the electric field strength between the needle electrode and amplify it between the plate electrodes. In contrast, negative corona discharge exhibits the opposite effect. The number of charged particles produced by microscale negative corona discharge is larger than that produced by positive corona, and the discharge phenomenon is more intense than that of positive corona. Under the simulation conditions in this paper, the ionization reaction rate of micro-scale positive and negative corona rises rapidly at the initial discharge. It will gradually remain stable after experiencing an upward pulse. The pulse peak value generated by micro-scale negative corona discharge is much higher than that of positive corona, and the pulse width of negative corona discharge is about half smaller than that of positive corona, which can reach a stable corona discharge state faster.