Numerical Study on the Charge Transport in a Space between Concentric Circular Cylinders

Abstract

Electrification is one of the key factors to be considered in the design of power transformers utilizing dielectric liquid as a coolant. Compared with enormous quantity of experimental and analytical studies on electrification, numerical simulations are very few. This paper describes essential elements of numerical solution methods for the charge transport equations in a space between concentric cylinders. It is found that maintaining the conservation property of the convective terms in the governing equations is of the uttermost importance for numerical accuracy, in particular at low reaction rates. Parametric study on the charge transport on the axial plane of the annular space with a predetermined velocity shows that when the convection effect is weak the solutions tend to a one-dimensional nature, where diffusion is simply balanced by conduction. As the convection effect is increased the contours of charge distribution approach the fluid streamlines. Thus, when the conduction effect is weak, charge distribution tends to be uniform and the role of the convection effect becomes insignificant. At an increased conduction effect, on the other hand, the fluid motion transports the charge within the electric double layers toward the top and bottom boundaries leading to an increased amount of total charge in the domain.