Advanced Techniques for On-line PD Measurements

in High Voltage Systems

F. Alvarez, J. Ortego, F. Garnacho and M.A. Sanchez-Unin
Polytechnic University of Madrid
Ronda de Valencia 3. Madrid, c.P. 28012, Spain
fernando.alvarez@upm.es

Abstract: Partial discharges (PD) measurements provide series with a measuring impedance or high frequency current
valuable information for the condition assessment of the high transformers (HFCT). The method can be extended to more
voltage insulation systems. PO tests have become a fundamental sensors and measurement units, for example for monitoring
tool to determine the status of high voltage elements, contributing applications.
to the quality assurance in high voltage equipment. Some reasons
for the increasing usage of DP tests are based in the effectiveness In the analysis of the recorded data, the measuring system
of the new developments presented to achieve more reliable uses a powerful filtering tool in order to discriminate PD pulses
diagnosis. from electrical noise when measurements are performed in
During the last five decades different approaches have been high noise environments, so it is suitable for on-line and
developed and applied to PO measurement and processing on-site temporal or permanent monitoring applications where
techniques. Significant efforts have been made to deal with the the conditions of background noise or interferences can be
most common problems ansmg in on-site and on-line significant and variable over time.
measurements: high levels of noise and interferences, the
emergence of different PO sources simultaneously and the In addition, the method applies two pulse classification tools
difficulty of locating the site of the defects and to identify the type to distinguish different pulse sources present simultaneously in
of defects. In order to overcome all these drawbacks, this paper a test object. By means of these classification tools it is
proposes an efficient method based in advanced measuring and possible to achieve a more accurate interpretation of the
diagnosis techniques, with the aim to achieve a proper sensitivity information obtained by analyzing individual phase resolved
in PD measurements and an accurate assessment of the elements PD (PRPD) patterns.
insulation condition.
The first classification tool draws on the analysis of the time
In PD measurements the main factors that condition the signal
delay between the arrival times of pulse signals to the
acquisition, the subsequent processing and the capability to obtain
an accurate diagnosis are: selection of a suitable detection
measuring units placed at a known distance in the test object
technique together with the type of sensors and their bandwidth, (classification by pulse location). The second classification tool
implementation of an effective noise filtering tool, development of is based on the signal analysis of the recorded pulses
a defect localization method and implementation of PD (classification by pulse waveform).
classification techniques for pattern recognition and defect
identification. All these factors have been considered in this study
Applying the processing techniques implemented in the
and a complete measuring method together with powerful proposed method it is possible to obtain more reliable PD
diagnostic tools are presented. Measurements in a test object diagnosis for high voltage equipment.
consisting in a one-phase cable system were accomplished with
real insulation defects, with the aim to show the effectiveness of II. PROCEDURE DESCRIPTION
the proposed method and the optimized analysis techniques.
The complete structure of the procedure described in this
section is presented in a flow diagram with an overview of all
I. INTRODUCTION the steps involved in the process, see Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 it is
shown the layout of the measuring units and sensors placed in
Different approaches have been developed and applied to PD
a cable arrangement.
measurement and processing techniques in order to achieve
accurate diagnoses. Most of them are focused in noise rejection The PD measuring units have a digitizer with 14 bits of
techniques [I], in pulse classification processes [2, 3] and in vertical resolution and a sampling frequency of 100 Ms/s; each
defect location and identification [4, 5]. In the study presented unit is controlled by a computer connected via fiber optic or
a complete measuring and processing method is described wireless connection.
providing a comprehensive solution for the most common
A synchronized data acqulSltlOn is performed at both
problems arising in on site measurements.
measuring units (1st step of the procedure). The
In the measuring procedure developed the signal acquisition synchronization of both measuring units can be accomplished
is performed by two synchronized measuring units. Two PD by means of a fiber optic cable, by the time reference of the
sensors for wideband measurements are coupled in the test coordinated universal time (CUT) from the pulse per second
object and connected to each unit, e.g. coupling capacitors in signal (PPS) of a global positioning system receiver (GPS), or
by a reference signal sent through the test object from a and there parameters related with the waveform j;. � and A
measuring unit to the other unit. The pulse parameters calculated are stored in the memory of
each measuring unit for further processing (4th step). The way
1 ,\ Step: signal acquisition l,r Step: signal acquisition
to obtain the parameters ti. fl. � and Pi and their utility will be
described in next section.
The data files of one of the measuring units are transferred to
th
4th Step 4 Step
save
the other unit in order to correlate pulses from the recorded
save
pulse pulse files (5th step). A pulse captured by a measuring unit is linked
with another pulse captured by the other if the difference in the
arrival times to the sensors is inside the time window tw
defined by the traveling path. This time window is determined
by the ratio of the distance between sensors L and the
propagation speed of the signals V.
tw LIV
= (1)
Although some couples of pulses can be wrongly correlated
due to the stochastic phenomena of PO and noise signals, the
amount of couples of pulses correlated correctly (originated in
a same site) is significant comparing with the wrong ones. To
determine the location of PO or noise sources in the test object,
each couple of correlated pulses is analyzed by means of an
9th Step
diagnosis automatic pulse classification tool, on the basis of the arrival
of time delay to each sensor (step 6th). The classification tool
insulation
condition position the acquired pulses in a mapping diagram for location
purposes.
When several pulse sources appear in the same location, i.e.
if for example different defects coexist on a cable terminal or
joint, an additional clustering tool is required to distinguish
them (7th step) . In this step, the waveform of each generic
registered pulse is characterized by means of three parameters
calculated in the 3rd step: main frequency j; and two shape
parameters �and p;. With these three parameters a 3D diagram
is obtained showing clusters of pulses corresponding to
Figure 1. Flowchart of the PD measuring procedure. different defects or noise sources. Selecting each cluster a
Internal defect I 0/2 I PRPD pattern for the corresponding signals is obtained. The
I Qj2 I 3D classification tool by pulse waveform is automatically
-A�-
applied to the data registered in each data acquisition and can
I I Cable system
be also applied to those pulses associated to a specific location.
Coupling Coupling
capacitor capacitor
Using interactively the classification by location tool together
with the 3D clustering tool and analyzing the obtained PRPD
Measuring Measuring
impedance impedance
patterns, different pulse sources and their associated physical
causes can be efficiently distinguished (8th step). The
recognition of pulse patterns allows the evaluation of the
Figure 2. Layout of the measuring units and sensors in a cable system. failure risk associated to each PO source (9th step).

After each signal acquisition, the continuous wave noise
signal presenting a random behaviour in the measurements is
removed applying a filtering technique based on the wavelet
transform (WT). Pulse-shaped signals generated by PD or
noise sources are discriminated from the background noise
registered in the measurement (2nd step). The operation of the
wavelet filter implemented in this procedure is described in
section III.
Once the signals intended to process are selected, the
following relevant parameters are calculated (3rd step): arrival
time ti referred to the CUT or to a synchronized signal, phase
angle !Pi referred to the zero crossing of the test voltage signal
III. PROCESSING TECHNIQUES
A. Operation of the noiseflltering tool
In this measuring system, a filtering tool on the basis of
wavelet transform (WT) allows to discriminate pulse signals
from continuous background noise. Much effort has been
focused on de-noising and detecting transient signals
implementing wavelets algorithms. The wavelet analysis in PO
measurement constitutes a useful technique for the
characterization of PO activity in insulating systems [6].
Considered a powerful mathematical tool for signal analysis
and processing, the WT can be used as a denoising method [7],
separating successfully PO pulses from background noise. The x,(llt,)
I PD pulse
Cable system
/A_Q/2
filtering tool developed is based in the use of the WT together I I
with a statistical analysis. Applying the implemented wavelet Q/� A
filter it is possible to detect pulse-shaped signals with
L1ti
amplitudes even below the background noise level, see Fig. 3.
I HFCT sensor I

Figure 4. Time delay between the arrival times to the measuring units.
Figure 3. Result of the filtering tool. Discrimination of pulse-shaped signals
overlaid with background noise.

The signals presenting a transient behavior (PD and pulse-type

interferences) are filtered and selected for further processing.
The most significant difference with traditional PD instruments
is that for the pulse selection is not necessary to adjust any
noise threshold level; all those pulses filtered are registered.
After the filtering process not all the selected signals Figure 5. Example of pulse classification by location. PD sources located in
correspond to PO pulses as it is not possible to discriminate different sites of a cable system.
pulse-type disturbances presenting a transient behavior similar
to PD. Nevertheless applying the classification by location C. The 3D clustering tool
tool and the 3D clustering tool, it is possible to obtain clusters
When more than one PO source appear in the same location
associated to PRPD patterns corresponding with noise sources.
it is necessary to identify and to differentiate them. In this
processing tool, a damped oscillating wave i;(t) is associated to
B. The classification by location tool
each filtered pulse, that is modeled by means of a sine function
When a pulse source is present in a test object the signal g;(t) and modulated by an enveloping function h;(t) that fits the
generated propagates conducted in different directions local maxima of the absolute values of the signal.
according to the impedance characteristics of the medium. In
the case of a cable system, two pulses travel towards opposite It (t) = g; (t)· h; (t) (4)
directions along the cable length from the source site. In gi(t) = sen e wJ - qJi) (5)
general, each pulse arrives to a measuring unit in a different
A
instant ti; only when the pulse source is located in the middle hi(t) = a; (t _to,)
. + i _ p,. (t _to;)
(6)
of the distance between two sensors the time delay between the e e

arrival times is zero (see Fig. 4).

A pulse registered in one measuring unit is correlated with
another registered in the other only if the time delay between
the arrival times of both pulses ilt; is less than the propagation
time between sensors tw defined in equation (1). Knowing the
time delay ilt; for the correlated pulses captured by each sensor,
the measuring system is able to establish automatically the
location of the different pulse sources. On the basis of the
knowledge of the propagation time tw and the cable length L,
the location of a pulse source x;(iltJ associated to a couple of
correlated pulses with respect to the position of measuring unit
1 (see Fig. 4), is established by the following expression:
The parameter w;=27rfi is estimated using the Fourier
transform of the filtered signal (corresponding with the
maximum amplitude value). The criterion to select the best
fitting is the least squares. The parameters of the modeled
pulses .ft, a; and /3; characterize their waveform providing
useful information for the classification by clusters of the
pulses originated in different sources and locations in the test
object. Implementing a three dimensional diagram using the
waveform parameters it is possible to identify different pulse
sources by selecting the formed clusters.
IV. EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS

In order to characterize the measuring method four

(2) insulation defects were measured simultaneously in a power
cable system. In Fig. 6 the experimental setup implemented in
a high-voltage laboratory is presented in detail.
(3)
The measurements were performed with two HFCT sensors
All correlated pulses are positioned in a mapping diagram placed in the cable system in positions A and C (distance
and the different locations of pulse sources are identified (see between sensors 867 m). The insulation defects measured and
Fig. 5). their position in the test object are specified in Table I.
 Internal defect Surface defect
--v-
Figure 6. Experimental setup for insulation defects measurement.
TABLE I
TYPE OF DEFECTS AND LOCATION
INSULATION DEFECT LOCATION
I. Corona (point-air configuration) A (0 meters)
2. Internal defect in a cable termination A (0 meters)
3. Internal defect in a splice B (355 m)
4. Surface defect in a cable termination C (867 m)
High-voltage is applied by means of a resonant system so
pulse-shaped interferences caused by the IGBTs of the power
source will be conducted through the cable system. This noise
interference together with the rest of impulsive noise signals
present in the test object will be located in position A, as they
are captured first by sensor A and travel from A to B.
The following two PRPD patterns are obtained by each
measuring unit. As the individual PRPD patterns generated in
each source are mixed, it results difficult to determine the
insulation condition of the high voltage system.
Figure 7. PRPD patterns obtained by both measuring units. a) Sensor 1:
HFCT in position A. b) Sensor 2: HFCT in position B.
Applying the localization tool the PO mapping shown in
Fig. 8 is obtained. Analyzing the time delay Lit; for correlated
pulses, three different emplacements for pulse sources were
detected (positions A, B and C in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8). The 3D
classification tool by pulse waveform was then applied to those
pulses associated to a specific location. By selecting the
formed clusters it is possible to obtain individual PRPO patters
(see Fig. 9). The clusters and PRPD patterns for positions A
and B were obtained analyzing the signals of the correlated
pulses measured by the sensor 1, while the cluster and pattern
in position C were obtained analyzing the correlated pulses
acquired by the sensor 2.
With the processing techniques implemented in the proposed
method it is possible to obtain differentiated PRPO patterns for
each emplacement. The analysis of the individual patterns
improves the sensibility in the detection and identification of
defects. Applying the processing tools all PO and pulse-type
noise disturbances were successfully detected, located and
identified.
Figure 8. Classification by location and 3D clustering tools. PRPD patterns: a)
IGBTs and pulse-type noise, b) corona,c) internal defect in cable termination,
d) internal defect in joint and e) surface defect.
V. CONCLUSIONS
The proposed PO measuring method allows performing a
more accurate and reliable diagnosis of the insulation failure
mechanisms involved in high voltage equipment. By means of
a powerful noise suppression technique and efficient analysis
tools, it is possible to obtain the location of the pulse sources
present in the test object together with differentiated PRPD
patterns.
The measuring method results of especial interest for on-site
and on-line PD measurements where noise interferences can be
significant and more than one source of pulse-shaped signals
can be present simultaneously in the test object.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank Diael Corporation for the
continuous support in the development of the presented
measuring method integrated in the BlueBOX technology.
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