Simulation of the Streamer Propagation in the Transformer Oil With Bubbles

The simulation of streamer discharge in transformer oil with microbubbles is developed. The distribution of charged particles on the oil interface after bubble discharge is obtained. The migration process of charged particles on the liquid–gas interface is studied. Based on the obtained results, a model of streamer discharge in transformer oil is proposed. The results show that when electrons are injected into the oil after bubble discharge, the streamer discharge process of oil with smaller radius can be promoted. In addition, the development speed of the streamer discharge reaches 66% faster than that without bubbles. When electrons and ions are injected into the oil, the shape of streamer discharge is identical to that without bubbles, and the development speed of streamer discharge is 20.4% faster than that without bubbles. It is envisaged that the proposed method may be useful in future development and research to improve the theory of insulating oil discharge and to explore the inhibition method that promotes the stability of power transformers.