An efficient model to simulate stable glow corona discharges and their transition into streamers

A computationally efficient model to evaluate stable glow corona discharges and their transition into streamers is proposed. The simplified physical model referred to as the SPM is based on the classic hydrodynamic model of charge particles and a quasi-steady state approximation for electrons. The solution follows a two-step segregated procedure, which solves sequentially the stationary continuity equation for electrons and then time-dependent continuity equations for ions. The validity of using the SPM to simulate glow corona discharges and their transition into streamers is demonstrated by performing comparisons with a fully coupled physical model (FPM) and with experimental data available in the literature for air under atmospheric conditions. It is shown that the SPM can obtain estimates similar to those calculated with the FPM and those measured in experiments but using significantly less computation time. Since the proposed model simulates efficiently the ionization layer without prior knowledge of the surface electric field or the discharge current, it is a computationally efficient alternative to calculations of glow corona discharges based on Kaptzov's approximation (KAM). The model can also be employed to efficiently calculate the conditions for the transition of glow corona into streamers, overcoming the limitations of KAM to provide such estimates. (paper)