The relationship between partial discharge current pulse waveforms and physical mechanisms

Partial discharge (PD) measurements have long been recognised as an important tool for detecting and predicting dielectric breakdown (BD). However, as a result of their small amplitude and wide bandwidth, the relationship between the physical mechanisms of gas breakdown and PD signal generation has not been clarified fully. We have investigated the relationship between PD current pulse waveforms and physical mechanisms to provide a basis for improved PD-based diagnostics.