Application Note

Distributed partial discharge measurement and

localization using GPS synchronized datasets

Author
Udo Ranninger | Udo.Ranninger@omicronenergy.com

Date
November 24, 2021

Related OMICRON Product

MPD 800, MCU2, MPD Suite software, MCT120, MCC210

Application Area
Partial discharge measurement and localization on medium and high voltage power cables

Keywords
partial discharge, PD, GPS, synchronous, distributed measurements, no fiber optic cable, on-site PD testing,
sToF, ToF, TDR, sTDR, PD cable localization

Version
v1.0

Abstract
Distributed, synchronous partial discharge measurements on power cables improves the sensitivity and
ability to localize PD events on cable circuits. New high-voltage cable circuits often come with integrated
fiber optic cables, which can be used to synchronize multiple PD acquisition units, such as the MPD 800,
installed along the cable circuit. The GPS synchronization features allows operators to synchronize multiple
MPD 800 systems, in case such a fiber optical cable is not available, as it is known from older or medium-
voltage cable systems. Multiple PD datasets can be merged in a post analysis process providing all the
benefits known from a fiber optical synchronized measurement.

© OMICRON 2021

Page 1 of 24
 General information

OMICRON electronics GmbH, including all international branch offices, is henceforth referred to as
OMICRON.
The product information, specifications, and technical data embodied in this Application Note represent the
technical status at the time of writing and are subject to change without prior notice.
We have done our best to ensure that the information given in this Application Note is useful, accurate and
entirely reliable. However, OMICRON does not assume responsibility for any inaccuracies which may be
present.
OMICRON translates this Application Note from the source language English into a number of other
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© OMICRON 2021. All rights reserved. This Application Note is a publication of OMICRON.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 2 of 24

 Table of content

1 Safety instructions ............................................................................................................................... 4

2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 5
3 GPS synchronization ........................................................................................................................... 7
3.1 Hardware requirements ................................................................................................................. 7
3.2 Software ......................................................................................................................................... 8
3.2.1 GPS reception and clock synchronization......................................................................................... 8
3.2.2 Merging PD datasets ........................................................................................................................ 8
4 Case Study #1: Distributed and GPS synchronized PD measurement
on a 900 m, 20 kV, XLPE cable ............................................................................................................ 9
4.1 Test setup ...................................................................................................................................... 9
4.2 Sensitivity check and scope view ................................................................................................ 10
4.3 Measurement results and fault localization ................................................................................. 12
5 Case Study #2: Distributed and GPS synchronized PD measurement on a
9600 m, 110 kV, XLPE cable .............................................................................................................. 15
5.1 Test setup .................................................................................................................................... 15
5.2 Sensitivity check .......................................................................................................................... 16
5.3 Measurement results and fault localization ................................................................................. 18
5.4 Photos .......................................................................................................................................... 21
5.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 22
6 List of literature................................................................................................................................... 23

© OMICRON 2021 Page 3 of 24

1 Safety instructions
This Application Note may only be used in conjunction with the relevant product manuals which contain all
safety instructions. The user is fully responsible for any application that makes use of OMICRON products.
Instructions are always characterized by a  symbol, even if they are included in a safety instruction.

NOTICE

Equipment damage or loss of data possible

 Carefully read and understand the content of this Application Note as well as the manuals of the
systems involved before taking them into operation.
 Please contact OMICRON support if you have any questions or doubts regarding the safety or
operating instructions.
 Follow each instruction listed in the manuals, especially the safety instructions, since this is the
only way to avoid the danger that can occur when working on high voltage or high current
systems.
 Only use the equipment involved according to its intended purpose to guarantee safe operation.
 Existing national safety standards for accident prevention and environmental protection may
supplement the equipment’s manual.
 Before starting a test always check that the test signals are suitable for your system under test.

Only experienced and competent professionals that are trained for working in high-voltage or high-current
environments may implement this Application Note. Additionally, the following qualifications are required:
• Authorized to work in environments of energy generation, transmission or distribution, and familiar
with the approved operating practices in such environments.
• Familiar with the five safety rules.
• Good knowledge/proficient in working with the MPD 800 system.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 4 of 24

2 Introduction
Partial discharge (PD) measurements on high-voltage and extra high-voltage cables are not only mandatory
during the development and manufacturing process, they are also recommended and nowadays often
required during the onsite commissioning test. The CIGRE brochure 728 “On-Site PD Assessment of HV
and EHV Cable Systems” [1] recommends that there should be no detectable PD for newly laid cables. This
recommendation can only be fulfilled with a proper test setup, which mainly depends on the cable system
itself, and a fully digital PD measuring system with abilities to suppress external noise.
A PD event occurring in the insulation of a cable or cable accessory will lead to an induced current on the
inner and outer conductor of the cable and will propagate in both directions. At the point of the origin, these
signals can contain frequencies up to several tens or even hundreds of megahertz. The frequency content at
the point of measurement can be strongly reduced and influenced by attenuation and dispersion as well as
by the transmission and reflection at an impedance change, such as transition from cable impedance to joint
impedance.
A sensitive measurement on the entire cable length can typically be achieved by selecting the measurement
frequency as low as possible, but as high as needed to avoid excessive noise which might be present at
lower frequencies. An ultra-high frequency (UHF) measurement on accessories uses this effect as benefit to
perform very local but sensitive detection.
Figure 1 and Figure 16 illustrate the significant impact of the measuring frequency on the ability to detect PD
after propagating a certain distance along a cable system. A sensitivity check, by injecting a calibrator signal
at different locations, will provide valuable information about appropriated filter settings for the given cable
system and noise condition.

100
90
[%] Referred to the Calibration Signal

80
70
0.375-0.675MHz
60
0.5-1.5MHz
50
40 2-3MHz
30 2.5-3.5MHz
20
4.5-5.5MHz
10
0
0 720 1440 2160 2880
Distance [m]

Figure 1: Charge reduction depending on the measuring frequency and measurement location along a 220 kV XLPE cable system

0,5
Amplitude [V]

0,3

0,1

-0,1

-0,3
-1,0E-06 7,0E-06 1,5E-05 2,3E-05 3,1E-05 3,9E-05
Time [s]

Figure 2: Attenuation and dispersion on a 1 km 220 kV XLPE cable - Calibrator signal

© OMICRON 2021 Page 5 of 24

 The PD test setup mainly depends on the length and accessibility of the cable system. A single end PD
measurement is typically performed with a coupling capacitor and a PD acquisition unit connected to one
terminal of the cable, as it is known from the conventional factory PD measurement. Such a setup is typically
used for cable systems not longer than 2000 m, having no joints or only with one or few straight metal clad
joints.

Figure 3: Single end PD measurement setup [1]

A dual end PD measurement is typically performed with a coupling capacitor and a PD acquisition unit
connected to both terminals of the cable system. Unconventional sensors such as high-frequency current
transformers (HFCTs) might be used as an alternative sensor. Such a setup is typically used for cable
systems not longer than 4000 m with up to two joints.

Figure 4: Dual end PD measurement setup synchronized with fiber optical cable

A distributed PD measurement provides the highest level of sensitivity, as the high-frequency signals are
typically decoupled at all cable accessories using either pre-installed sensors or HFCTs in addition to the
conventional coupling capacitor setup.

Figure 5: Distributed PD measurement setup synchronized with fiber optical cable

The measurement sensitivity can be significantly improved with a dual-end or distributed test setup, whereas
the synchronicity of multiple measurement locations provides operators with major benefits when it comes to
noise reduction (unit gating, 3PARD) and PD fault localization. A time-of-flight analysis / statistical time-of-
flight (ToF / sToF) between several sensors can be performed and used for fault localization in addition to
the single-channel time domain reflectometry (TDR) and its statistical approach (sTDR).
The GPS dataset synchronization feature allows operators to merge recorded PD datasets, which include
the GPS information, of several MPD 800 system installed for instance along a power cable. This post
process tool allows operators to perform a synchronized measurement / localization even when no fiber
optical cables is available.
© OMICRON 2021 Page 6 of 24
3 GPS synchronization

3.1 Hardware requirements

The GNSS antenna (Tallysman TW2410) is connected with the antenna cable (H155PE) to the antenna
input of the MCU2, which has a built-in receiver circuit and phantom power supply. The interface can provide
3 V and up to 100 mA, which becomes relevant when using another GPS antenna or cable than the one
offered by OMICRON. Highest accuracy will be achieved when the antenna cables of all MPD 800 system
have the same length. Big objects close to the antenna can reflect the GPS signal causing an error. The
antenna should be mounted at a place with a clear and unobstructed view to the sky.

Tallysman TW2410
> LNA gain: 28 dB
> Noise figure: 1.5 dB
> IP 67
> Supply voltage range: +2.5 to 16 VDC
> Supply current: 15 mA – 25 mA
> Magnet base plate

H155PE
> Low loss flex coaxial cable
> DC loop resistance: 32.4 Ω/km
> Terminated with SMA connectors
> Standard length: 20 m

MCU2
> Phantom power suppl 3 V,100 mA

Table 1: Essential hardware equipment for GPS reception

► Install the GPS antenna and its cabling in accordance with all national and local electrical codes,
regulations, and practices.

► Install the antenna and cabling where they will not be energized by falling high-voltage power lines
and cannot be damaged by over-voltage transients, particularly lightning. Additional protective measures are
required for such installations, as specified in national and local electrical codes.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 7 of 24

3.2 Software

3.2.1 GPS reception and clock synchronization

The MPD Suite software automatically recognizes when an antenna is connected to the MCU2 and the built-
in GPS receiver has acquired a position fix. At this stage the GPS indicator, displayed on the MCU2 unit in
the system overview tap, is shown with a yellow background. Once the GPS position fix has been
established, the MCU2 will then use the timing data from the GPS satellites to continuously synchronize its
internal clock with the GPS satellites atomic clock. The background color of the GPS indicator will change to
green once the MCU2 has achieved clock synchronization. As this is an oscillating process, and to ensure
highest synchronicity, it is recommended to have a clock synchronization for at least 15 minutes, before
commencing with the PD measurement.
The software will additionally show warning messages above the large diagram view in case the GPS signal
has been lost, e.g. due to poor reception conditions, or the MCU2 clock is not fully synchronized with the
GPS clock.
Having a GPS fix and clock synchronization will lead to a maximum synchronization deviation of 100 ns, but
this is typically lower in the range of a few 10 ns.

Figure 6: MCU2 with GPS fix but no clock synchronization Figure 7: MCU2 with GPS fix and clock synchronization

3.2.2 Merging PD datasets

The MPD Suite software allows operators to load multiple dataset files but only
in case the recordings contain the GPS information.
The operator needs to navigate to the Replay tap and click on “+ Add files” to
allow the selection of multiple PD datasets. The button “Load files” will merge
all selected PD datasets and display the combined information in the software
as it is known from a fiber optical cable synchronized measurement.
The button allows operators to eject a loaded file which is not of interest
anymore.

Figure 8: Adding and Loading files in the replay tap

© OMICRON 2021 Page 8 of 24

4 Case study #1: Distributed and GPS synchronized PD
measurement on a 900 m, 20 kV, XLPE cable
A dual-end PD measurement was performed on a NA2XS(F)2Y 1x50 RM/16 12/20kV power cable. The test
voltage was generated by using a portable series resonance circuit, capable of outputting 70 kV and 1.1 A.
Two independent MPD 800 measuring systems, consisting of MPD 800, RBP1, MCU2, GPS antenna,
coupling capacitor, fiber optical and antenna cable, were used on both ends to decouple the high-frequency
PD signal and the test voltage equivalent signal. The cable has a known PD source at 650 m from the near
end, respectively 250 m from the far end.

4.1 Test setup

Figure 9: Dual end test setup with 2 independent MPD 800 systems and a coupling capacitor connected to each cable end

Figure 10: System overview after merging the PD dataset of both measurement locations

© OMICRON 2021 Page 9 of 24

4.2 Sensitivity check and scope view

The PD calibrator CAL 542 was connected to either end of the cable to perform a calibration on the charge
reading as well as on the propagation speed. Figure 11 shows the merged time signal of both measuring
points while the calibrator was connected to the near end termination. The first impulse (blue signal)
occurring at “0 s” represents the directly measured calibrator pulse, which then propagates along the power
cable to the far end (red signal) where it gets detected after approximately 5.35 µs. The reflected signal at
the far end will travel back to the near end sensor and gets measured again – this happens back-to-back
until the signal gets lost in the noise level.
Activating the digital low pass filters in the advanced tap can improve quality of the time signal, especially in
case of external disturbances above the selected cut-off frequency. Averaging multiple signals will
additionally improve the signal quality but also reduces the likelihood that both signals are displayed in the
graph.
The PD scope of each channel is refreshed every 41 ms as long the selected trigger condition is fulfilled.
This 41 ms time interval is not synchronized when using multiple MCUs, thus the trigger condition of both
measuring points needs to be selected in a way that all units trigger only on a few pulses. The higher the
scope trigger rate, the less likely it is that both curves (ToF) are displayed in one graph, even though they
show a clear signal on the individual channels. A low trigger rate might be achieved with the PD Event
trigger window, which allows operators to pick selective pulses/events in the PRPD view. Only impulses
within the selected area and the proper impulse polarity will lead to a trigger condition. Figure 12 shows the
PD Event trigger window, used on positive and negative events. It is very likely that both curves are
displayed in one diagram if the trigger rate is less than 25 times per second.
The statistical time of flight localization algorithm (sToF) is not affected by the scope synchronization
limitations and provides additional benefits in cases of high disturbances and low PD intensity.

Figure 11: Left - GPS synchronized time view of the calibration impulse, measured at the near and far end of the power cable.

Right - statistical Time of Flight (sToF) localization of the calibration impulse. The software automatically displays the distance from the
selected trigger source.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 10 of 24

 Figure 12: PD Event trigger window used on positive and negative discharge events; only the highest events within a limited phase
position are selected in the PRPD view to enable the trigger condition

© OMICRON 2021 Page 11 of 24

4.3 Measurement results and fault localization

Measurement location “near end” Measurement location “far end”

TDR: ∆s = 651 m fault location seen from far end TDR: ∆s = 250.3 m fault location seen from near end

GPS merged time-of-flight measurement: 200 m represents the fault location seen from the middle of the
cable. 450 m + 200 m = 650 m is the fault with respect to the near end, whereas 450 m – 200 m = 250 m
represents the fault from the far end.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 12 of 24

 sTDR: ∆s = 243 m fault location from near end sTDR: ∆s = 654 m fault location from far end

GPS merged statistical time-of-flight (sToF): fault location is 650 m from far end

Table 2: Single channel and GPS merged dual end measurement test results; The slightly different fault locations are based on the fact
that the same propagation speed was used for all localization methods.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 13 of 24

 Figure 13: MPD Suite software overview of a GPS synchronized / merged measurement

The MPD Suite software additionally allows to export the measured data in different formats (csv, binary
files, …) so that they can be further processed and analyzed.

Figure 14: Example of the PD scope to csv-file export functionality for further signal processing

© OMICRON 2021 Page 14 of 24

5 Case study #2: Distributed and GPS synchronized PD
measurement on a 9600 m, 110 kV, XLPE cable
A GPS synchronized offline PD measurement was performed on a N2XS(FL)2Y 1x800 RM35 64/110kV
power cable system. The circuit contains 13 straight and 2 cross-bonding joints and has a total length of
9600 m. The high frequency signals were decoupled at the cable sheath of both terminations (outdoor and
GIS) and both accessible cross-bonding joints using high-frequency current transformers. In addition, a
coupling capacitor as well as a gating unit were used at the terminal where the test voltage was applied. An
air gap was installed at all HFCTs to avoid saturation caused by the capacitive charging current.

5.1 Test setup

Figure 15: Distributed PD test setup with 4 independent MPD 800 systems

© OMICRON 2021 Page 15 of 24

5.2 Sensitivity check

The PD measurement was performed with a center frequency of 2 MHz and a bandwidth of 1 MHz. Figure
15 illustrates the importance of the selected measuring frequency in order to measure PD signals further
away from the sensor installation location.

Charge reading based on the measuring frequency and measuring position along a 110 kV
XLPE cable system
100
[%] Referred to the Calibration Signal

10

0,1

0,01

0,001
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Distance [m]
0.5-1.5 MHz 1.5-2.5 MHz 2.5-3.5 MHz 3.5-4.5 MHz
4.5-5.5 MHz 5.5-6.5 MHz 6.5-7.5 MHz 7.5-8.5 MHz

Figure 16: Charge reading depending on the measuring frequency and sensor location on a 110 kV XLPE cable system (logarithmic)

CAL Impulse measured at different measurement locations

0,9

0,7

0,5

0,3
Amplitude [V]

0,1

-0,1

-0,3

-0,5

-0,7
-100 900 1900 2900 3900 4900 5900 6900 7900 8900 9900
Distance [m]
Termination Joint 9 Joint 5

Figure 17: Influence of attenuation and dispersion on the propagating calibration impulse / Impulse measured at different locations

© OMICRON 2021 Page 16 of 24

 CB-Joint

CB-Joint

GIS-EV
Muffe
FL-EV

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint

Joint
Outdoor Termination 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1b 1a GIS

Segment length [m] 2 605 744 595 342 436 484 816 654 669 590 617 566 790 594 549 543

"CAL" Refelction [s] 2,25225E-08 6,836E-06 1,365E-05 2,203E-05 2,873E-05 3,258E-05 3,749E-05 4,294E-05 5,213E-05 5,949E-05 6,703E-05 7,367E-05 8,062E-05 8,699E-05 9,589E-05 1,026E-04 1,088E-04

Table 3: Cable system overview – location of joints and approximate propagation time

injection
position joint 9

joint 9

GIS

joint 5
joint 5

joint 1b joint 1b

Figure 18: Time view of the calibration impulse with its significant reflections at the cross-bonding joints and the statistical approach with the filtered signal on the right hand side

The calibration signal provides important information as to the signal reflection at the joints. A PD event happening between joint 5 and 9 will
significantly be reflected at those joints, means that those have to be seen as relevant “reflection points” when it comes to fault localization.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 1 of 24

5.3 Measurement results and fault localization

At nominal test voltage, no PD is detected at all four measurement locations.

outdoor termination joint 9

joint 5 GIS termination

Table 4: PRPD pattern at nominal test voltage

© OMICRON 2021 Page 18 of 24

 PD activity was obtained at a test voltage of 1.4 times nominal voltage at the measurement location “joint 5”.

outdoor Termination joint 9

joint 5 GIS termination

Table 5: PRPD pattern at 1.4 times nominal test voltage, MPD system at joint 5 indicates PD activity

© OMICRON 2021 Page 19 of 24

 A frequency sweep at maximum test voltage was performed at all measurement locations to ensure the
highest detection sensitivity.
Merging the PD dataset from multiple locations allows operators to perform a statistical time-of-flight analysis
of the PD events which was only detectable at measurement location “joint 5”. The MPD located at
measurement location “joint 5” is selected as trigger channel and the detected PD cluster is selected using a
rectangle indicated in Figure 18. At the next step, the MPD located at “joint 9” is selected and the localization
process started. All events happening within the selected area will be correlated with the events occurring at
measurement location “joint 9”. The sToF PD localization diagram plots the time difference and amplitude
ratio of both sensors. A PD event, happening exactly in the middle between both sensors, would lead to a ∆t
of 0 µs. The actual measurement shows a clear correlation at +1.18 µs which can also be expressed as
1260 m from the measurement location “joint 5”. Joint 7 is located 1259 m away of joint 5 and identified as
fault location.

Figure 19: PD localization using sToF; selected events at measurement location “joint 5” are correlated measurement location “joint 9”

© OMICRON 2021 Page 20 of 24

5.4 Photos

Figure 20: Test setup “outdoor termination”, coupling capacitor and HFCT

Figure 21: Test setup “joint 9”, GPS antenna installed on top of the car, backup diesel generator for notebook supply

© OMICRON 2021 Page 21 of 24

 Figure 22: Test setup “GIS termination”

5.5 Conclusion

This example (10 km, 110 kV, XLPE, 15 joints) highlights the importance of a distributed and synchronized
PD measurement. A single end measurement or even a measurement from both ends would have not
indicated any PD activity. Only one cross bonding measurement location shows that there is PD activity
somewhere along the circuit. The statistical time of flight approach can find correlation even if they are
hidden in the noise level of the PRPD. Joint 7, which is located 4678 m from the near end and 4918 m from
the far end of the power cable is identified as the PD fault location.

© OMICRON 2021 Page 22 of 24

6 List of literature
[1] CIGRE brochure 728: “On-Site PD Assessment of HV and EHV Cable Systems”
[2] IEC 60270: "High-voltage test techniques – Partial discharge measurement", Edition 3.1

© OMICRON 2021 Page 23 of 24

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