Simulation of the effect of carrier density fluctuations on initial streamer branching in natural ester during pulsed positive discharges.

In this study, an improved streamer discharge model for natural ester is established by considering the effect of temperature on carrier mobility during discharge, the distribution of the ionization energy of the liquid molecules, and the fluctuation source of the carrier density related to the electric field gradient. Based on Poisson's equation and the continuity equation, the simulation models are improved by adding a fluctuation source term to the continuity equation. The source term consists of carrier density related to the electric field gradient during discharge. The effect of the temperature on the carrier mobility is studied experimentally and added to the simulation parameter settings. The results show that the improved model demonstrates similar branch patterns to those observed experimentally during the initiation of the streamer. The degree of fluctuation of carrier density related to the electric field quantifies the branching, pattern, and propagation characteristics of the streamer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]