Methods of electric discharge modeling by ANSYS package

In thb paper, the new algorithm for the unipolar corona discharge computation by the finite-element package ANSYS Is proposed. A wire-plane electrode arrangement has been chosen, as an example. The invariability of the electric Intensity force lines In the case of corona discharge in comparison with the case without discharge Is a fundamental assumption of this algorithm. So the distribution of electric intensity in the case of the corona discharge E cor along a force line can be expressed by the formula E cor = S E el , where E el is an electric intensity in the case without discharge, S is a some scalar function of coordinates. The computational algorithm consists of several stages. At the first stage the electric field distribution without taking into account a volume charge was calculated. At the following stage force lines were constructed and distributions of a volume charge and an electric field at corona discharge was calculated along these lines. Further, the current density distribution was specified so that drop of potential along whole force line was equal to the applied voltage, and new calculation was made with the specified value of a current. As these tasks are non-standard for ANSYS package, special programs were developed for their calculation in this package. At last stage the accuracy of received solution was estimated. Estimation has shown the solution satisfies to the Initial equations of corona discharge with accuracy about 10-15 %. Then calculated density of electric forces was used for the electric wind task solution, therefore pressure and velocity distributions were received.