Fault Identification of In-Service Power Transformer using Depolarization Current Analysis

Preventive diagnostic testing of in-service power transformers require system outage and expert’s knowledge and experiences in interpreting the measurement results. The chemical oil analysis may cause significant variance to measurement results due to the different practices in oil sampling, storage, handling and transportation. Thus, a cost effective measuring technique by means of a simpler method that is able provide an accurate measurement results is highly required. The extended application of Polarization and Depolarization Current (PDC) measurement for characterization of different faults conditions on in-service power transformer has been presented in this paper. The oil sample from in-service power transformers with normal and 3 different faults type conditions were sampled and tested for Dissolved Gases Analysis (DGA) and PDC measurement. The DGA results was used to confirm type of faults inside the transformer while the PDC pattern of oil with normal, partial discharge, overheating and arcing were correlated to the oil sample conditions. The analysis result shows that depolarization current provides significant information to defferenciate fault types in power transformer. Thus this finding provides a new alternative in identifying incipient faults and such knowledge can be used to avoid catastrophic failures of power transformers

Measurement and modeling of partial discharge arising from different cavity geometries at very low frequency

In this paper, a comparative study including measurement and modeling of partial discharge for various void geometries (cylinder, block, and prisms) at very low frequency (VLF) and power frequency (PF) voltage is presented. Results from experiments and simulations are presented with phase-resolved discharge patterns and integrated parameters (maximum/average discharge magnitudes, and repetition rates). Dynamic simulation, achieved using a combination of finite element analysis and Matlab, matches the experimental results. Differences of discharge characteristics between VLF and PF may be attributed to the physical mechanisms in the modeling including cavity surface conductivity and space charge decay rate. Compared with discharge activities at PF, the VLF excitation in general exhibits relatively lower discharge magnitude and repetition rate. Also, the inception voltage is found to be lower at VLF

Application of UHF Sensors in Power System Equipment for Partial Discharge Detection: A Review

Condition monitoring of an operating apparatus is essential for lifespan assessment and maintenance planning in a power system. Electrical insulation is a critical aspect to be monitored, since it is susceptible to failure under high electrical stress. To avoid unexpected breakdowns, the level of partial discharge (PD) activity should be continuously monitored because PD occurrence can accelerate the aging process of insulation in high voltage equipment and result in catastrophic failure if the associated defects are not treated at an early stage. For on-site PD detection, the ultra-high frequency (UHF) method was employed in the field and showed its effectiveness as a detection technique. The main advantage of the UHF method is its immunity to external electromagnetic interference with a high signal-to-noise ratio, which is necessary for on-site monitoring. Considering the detection process, sensors play a critical role in capturing signals from PD sources and transmitting them onto the measurement system. In this paper, UHF sensors applied in PD detection were comprehensively reviewed. In particular, for power transformers, the effects of the physical structure on UHF signals and practical applications of UHF sensors including PD localization techniques were discussed. The aim of this review was to present state-of-the-art UHF sensors in PD detection and facilitate future improvements in the UHF method