Optimization of the contamination particle deposition model based on humidity and surface energy

•The forces of particles under the humidity condition were analyzed and calculated.•A 3D model of particle deposition was built upon flow and electric field theory.•The energy-based deposition criterion of particles was optimized progressively.•Increase of humidity and surface energy can promote particle deposition.•A simulation model of particle deposition upon humidity and surface energy was got. The research on contamination accumulation characteristics of insulators is the basis of pollution flashover prevention work. The porcelain three-umbrella insulator used in the wind tunnel test at North China Electric Power University was taken as the research object. Using simulation software COMSOL Multiphysics, the original pollution particle deposition model was optimized in progressively based on humidity and surface energy to simulate their effect on the contamination accumulation characteristics of the insulator used in the wind tunnel. Using the wind tunnel test results for reference, the simulation results showed that the average relative error of the two optimized models (based on humidity and surface energy) was reduced from 61.25% in the original model to 27.64% and 12.18%, respectively. The rationality of each optimization model was verified. The variation trend of the simulation results of the final optimized model with DC voltage was more similar to that observed in the test results, which could provide a reference for the simulation study of the natural pollution characteristics of the considered insulator.