Filtern
Dokumenttyp
Schlagworte
Partial discharge in polymeric insulation of high voltage equipment causes cumulative damage that progressively deteriorates the insulation, leading to eventual failure. The electrical detection of related discharge current pulses may be challenged by electromagnetic interference from the environment. In such situations the detection of acoustic emission from partial discharge can greatly enhance its detectability, especially when electromagnetically immune fiber-optic acoustic sensors are used. During experiments involving such fiber-optic sensors that were specifically designed for the detection of partial discharge in elastomeric insulation, an unexpected type of acoustic emission was observed in silicone elastomer specimens with tip–plate electrode configurations and under DC electrical stress. We present and discuss experimental results that indicate space charge injection and subsequent spontaneous dynamical processes as the source of the detected acoustic emission. We use sensitive conventional partial discharge measurement instrumentation to show that the apparent acoustic efficiency of the processes leading to the observed acoustic emission is very high. Acoustic emission triggered by discharge events with individual apparent charge values of only a few femtocoulombs could be detected.
Partial discharge in elastomeric high voltage insulations is a major reason for device failure. The special challenges of the high voltage environment limit the use of conventional acoustic emission sensors. Fibre-optic sensors can cope with these challenges thanks to their optical sensing principle and the use of all-dielectric materials. In this contribution, improvements to a previously introduced design of ultrasonic fibre-optic acoustic partial discharge sensors for elastomeric insulations are presented. The improved performance of fibre-optic acoustic sensors in detecting AC partial discharge is demonstrated. Furthermore, their ability to detect low-level damage processes in elastomeric insulation under DC dielectric stress is shown to outperform the highly sensitive electrical detection method.
Fibre-optic acoustic detection of damage processes in elastomeric insulation under AC and DC stress
(2013)
Sensitive partial discharge (PD) measurements on HV/EHV cable systems are usually based on electrical or electromagnetic PD detection. Unfortunately, interferences may significantly reduce sensitivity, especially in on-site after-installation testing and, even more, in on-line PD monitoring. This paper deals with optical PD detection, which is absolutely immune to any kind of electromagnetic interference. Optical PD detection necessarily requires transparent or translucent insulation systems to be applicable. Stress cone elements for HV/EHV cable accessories meet the requirements for optical PD detection, if made from transparent silicone elastomers.