A new methodology for the identification of PD in electrical apparatus: properties and applications

Applications of a new methodology, aimed at the identification of defects occurring in insulation systems of HV apparatus and based on partial discharge (PD) measurements, are presented in this paper. This methodology relies upon the digital acquisition of a large amount of PD pulses and separates the acquired pulses into homogeneous subclasses. Signal processing tools recognize the presence of noise among the different classes. Identification of basic PD source typologies (i.e., internal, corona and surface discharges) is then achieved, resorting to fuzzy algorithms. The proposed procedure is applied to measurements performed on different HV apparatus, such as cables, transformers and rotating machines. The purpose of this paper is to show that the identification process is robust, regarding the measuring circuit, and flexible, so that it can constitute an advanced tool for condition based maintenance, guiding maintenance experts in making decisions on the condition of the insulation system under test.