Branching Initial Streamers to Inhibit the Streamer Propagation in Natural Ester-based Nanofluid

A multi-branch pre-breakdown streamer model for natural ester-based nanofluid is established in this paper to study the influence of electrons density fluctuation on the streamer branching and propagation during the pulsed discharge. The mechanism of electron density fluctuation on the streamer branching and propagation characteristics is further studied using the finite element software. Results show that the initial streamer branched more likely near the needle tip in the nanofluids than that in the pure oils, and the branching of the initial streamers in nanofluid significantly inhibit the streamer propagation. The fluctuation of carrier density and the low charge density regions caused by adsorption of electrons with nanoparticles near the needle tip are the leading causes for the initial streamer branching in the nanofluid. The repulsion of the charge with the same polarity between the streamer branches can change the propagation pattern of the streamer, resulting in the inhibition of the streamer propagation. Results provide a novel strategy for the inhibition of streamer propagation by electron density fluctuations-induced branched initial streamer in nanofluids.