IET Science, Measurement & Technology

Research Article

Analysis of partial discharge sources in stator ISSN 1751-8822

Received on 13th December 2018

insulation system using variable excitation

Revised 26th March 2019
Accepted on 20th May 2019
E-First on 27th June 2019
frequency doi: 10.1049/iet-smt.2018.5666
www.ietdl.org

Ramesh P. Nair1 , Sumangala B. Vishwanath2

1Cables and Diagnostics Division, Central Power Research Institute, Bengaluru, India
2Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, India
E-mail: rameshpn88@gmail.com

Abstract: Identification of partial discharge (PD) sources in stator insulation is an important and challenging task. Distinct
phase-resolved PD (PRPD) pattern of different PD sources are well established at power frequency (50/60 Hz) and can help to
identify each source. In this study, different sources of PD commonly found in stator insulation were created on a 6.6 kV epoxy-
mica stator coil. Each PD source was experimentally investigated at a variable excitation frequency in the range of 50–0.1 Hz.
PRPD pattern and PD parameters such as integrated charge per cycle and number of discharge pulses per cycle of each
discharge source were compared at different frequencies. The comparison suggests that the parameter of each PD source was
dependent on excitation frequency. Some discharge sources have shown a distinct variation in their characteristics with
excitation frequency. These distinct characteristics are additional information to the existing ones, which will help to correlate PD
characteristics with the source of PD in stator insulation.

1 Introduction different PD sources may overlap when multiple PD sources occur

Partial discharge (PD) activity is known to deteriorate the
insulation of high-voltage (HV) equipment, which finally leads to
failure of equipment. In a rotating machine insulation system, the
tolerance given to PD activity is high as compared to HV cables,
transformers and so on. The reason behind this high tolerance is
Mica, the main insulation component used in rotating machine
stator winding. Mica is proven to be highly PD resistant compared
to other insulating materials and can withstand PD for decades
without breakdown [1]. However, there are certain discharge
sources which are known to cause degradation of stator insulation
at a faster rate and may lead to failure within a few months.
Moreover, being a direct cause of stator insulation failure, PD in
the rotating machine is considered as a symptom of other
degrading processes [2]. For example, PD may arise due to poor
semi-conducting coating, delamination of stator insulation due to
thermal aging, loose coils in the slot and so on. Therefore, if PD
sources are identified, then there will be better anticipation
regarding the deteriorating process progressing in the insulation
and the rate of degradation. It will be easier to take a decision and
to provide a reasonable diagnosis of stator insulation.
The major sources of PD in stator insulation are internal
discharges, delamination discharges, slot discharges and end-
winding corona discharges. Distinct phase-resolved PD (PRPD)
patterns of different discharge sources at power frequency are
reported in previous studies [3, 4]. In these studies, slot discharge
and end-winding corona discharge are reported to have an
asymmetric PRPD pattern with large magnitude discharges
occurring in the negative half-voltage cycle. A symmetric pattern
with nearly equal magnitude discharges occurring in both positive
and negative half voltage cycles is reported for delamination
discharge. Apart from PRPD pattern, other PD characteristics like
peak discharge magnitude, number of discharge pulses, apparent
discharge current are also used to correlate with PD source.
Relationship between insulation damage and their respective PD
characteristics are presented in [5]. A summary of distinct PD
characteristics and PRPD pattern of commonly found PD sources
in rotating machine insulation is given in [6]. Even with reported
distinct patterns, there remains an ambiguity to identify the exact
PD source from the given PRPD pattern because patterns of
simultaneously, as mentioned in [6].
Even though PD measurements are mostly performed at power
frequency, there are extensive research works going on in the area
of low-frequency PD measurements. One advantage of using low-
frequency excitation for PD measurement is a reduction in the size
of the supply source [7]. Even though low-frequency HV source is
widely used for insulation testing of long HV cables, its application
is not popular among rotating machines. The majority of the
research works reported on low-frequency PD measurement are
mainly focused on corona discharge and void discharge in
insulation samples [8–12]. In [13], the authors have reported the
effect of frequency on spectral characteristics of corona discharge,
surface discharge and metal–dielectric bounded cavity discharge.
There is a general agreement in reported studies that PD magnitude
is lower at lower excitation frequencies due to significant charge
decay.
Application of low-frequency PD measurement on machine
insulation was first reported in [14, 15]. However, these studies
were not focused on different sources of PD and application of
PRPD patterns was not popular at that time. Effect of air-gap and
temperature on slot discharge characteristics at variable excitation
frequencies were reported in [16, 17]. The results indicate that
PRPD patterns of slot discharge were asymmetric at all excitation
frequencies in the range of 50–0.1 Hz. In [18], the authors suggest
that discharges in end-windings, which are not present during
online PD measurement, can occur during very low-frequency PD
measurement.
From the literature survey, it was found that research works
exclusively on the application of low-frequency PD measurement
for identifying PD sources in stator insulation are limited. This
paper describes different PD sources in stator insulation and their
dependence on excitation frequency. An experimental investigation
has been carried out in the laboratory on 6.6 kV stator coils with
different PD sources. PD characteristics of different PD sources
were compared at frequencies 50, 10, 1 and 0.1 Hz. Some distinct
features were observed with varying excitation frequency, which
was useful in characterising a particular discharge source. These
distinct features are additions to the existing features used to
identify discharge sources in stator insulation.

IET Sci. Meas. Technol., 2019, Vol. 13 Iss. 6, pp. 922-930 922
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Fig. 1 PD measurement set-up
(a) Schematic diagram of PD measurement set-up, (b) Electric circuit associated with PD measurement
2 Frequency dependence of PD
For a PD inception, the net electric field in the void should be
above a critical breakdown value and there should be an
availability of an initial electron to initiate the avalanche process.
The net electric field in a void, as proposed in [19] is given by
E = f E0 + Eres
where E is the net electric field in V/m, f is the stress enhancement
factor, which depends on void dimension, E0 is the electric field
due to externally applied voltage in V/m and Eres is the electric
field due to residual charges on the void surface due to previous
discharge in V/m.
There are two possible processes of initial electron generation;
volume emission and surface emission. In the volume emission
process, the electron is generated from ionisation of air in the void
by cosmic energy, whereas in surface emission process electrons,
available on the void surface due to previous discharge, are de-
trapped from the surface. Therefore, the residual charges are very
decisive in the PD process since they affect both the net electric
field as per (1) and the availability of initial electron.
When a void is exposed to continuous discharge, the
conductivity of void surface σs increases. The increase in
conductivity is due to the formation of acidic byproducts [20].
With an increase in surface conductivity, the residual charges decay
due to conduction. Further, the surface-emission process is also
affected by charge decay as de-trapping of the electron becomes
difficult when electrons diffuse into the deeper traps in insulation
surface. The time constant of charge decay τdecay has been
evaluated earlier using the resistive and capacitive model proposed
in [19] and is calculated by
ε ⋅D
τdecay = 0
4 ⋅ σs
where ε0 represents the permittivity of vacuum and D is the
equivalent diameter of conducting surface in m.
Apart from charge decay, the increase in surface conductivity
also results in charge spread, over the larger area of insulation
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surface. Both charge spread and decay results in a net reduction of
the electric field. The excitation frequency also influences charge
decay and spread. If τdecay is longer than the time period of supply
voltage, then there will not be any significant charge decay. As
excitation frequency is reduced, the time period increases and there
is more time available for charges to decay and hence charge decay
is significant resulting in a reduction of net electric field and
(1)
thereby the PD magnitude. At lower frequencies, the charge spread
is also high because now, charges have more time to spread and
distribute over the insulation surface.
Therefore, both an increase in surface conductivity and
reduction in excitation frequency enhance charge decay and charge
spread.
3 Experimental details
Four types of discharge sources commonly found in a stator
insulation system of rotating machines are studied. These discharge
sources are internal delamination discharge; delamination
discharges near the copper conductor, slot discharge and finally,
corona discharge at stress grading junction (end winding corona
discharge). Multi-turn resin rich type stator coils insulated with
epoxy-mica tape rated for 6.6 kV are used for the laboratory
investigation. All discharge sources have well-established PRPD
patterns and characterisation [6]; the same information was used to
confirm particular discharge activity in the stator coils. Details of
setup required for each type of discharge source and the PD
measurement at variable frequency are described in the following
subsections.
3.1 PD measurement details
PD measurements were carried out on the stator coil using a digital
PD detector, as shown in Fig. 1. The centre frequency was set at
(2) 250 kHz and a bandwidth of 300 kHz was chosen for frequency
integration [21]. A PD free 1000 pF capacitor was used as a
coupler. The data acquisition time was chosen at least 100 cycles
for each excitation frequency, i.e. 50, 10, 1 and 0.1 Hz. A PD
threshold of 100 pC was kept throughout the analysis.
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Fig. 2 Structure of PD defect
(a) Slot discharge created by removing semi-conducting tape, (b) End-winding corona
discharge created by removing semi-conducting tape from stress grading junction
Fig. 3 Internal delamination PRPD pattern at 5 kV
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz
Fig. 4 Per cycle integrated charge as a function excitation frequency for
internal delamination discharge at 5 kV
For analysis, per cycle value of two PD parameters: integrated
charge (ΣQ) and several discharge pulses (N) were used. An
integrated charge is the sum of the absolute value of individual
apparent charge magnitude during a chosen number of voltage
cycles. These two parameters are taken separately for positive and
negative half cycles of the applied voltage. The positive discharge
parameters (ΣQ+ and N+) are obtained mainly from the negative
half cycle, whereas the negative discharge parameters (ΣQ− and N
−) are obtained mainly from the positive half cycle. The ratio of
ΣQ+ and ΣQ− was used to quantify the symmetry of PRPD
patterns of different discharge sources.
A comparison of charge distribution plots at different excitation
frequencies was made, which shows the number of discharge
pulses versus discharge magnitude separately for each excitation
frequency. Further, the FFT spectrum histogram of PD input at all
excitation frequencies for each defect is compared and given in the
Appendix.
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3.2 Delamination discharge
To investigate internal delamination discharge, stator coils were
subjected to thermal stress at temperature higher than the thermal
class of stator coil, i.e. class F (155°C). After 50 h of continuous
thermal stress application, PD measurements were carried out on
stator coils at 4, 5 and 6 kV with different frequencies at room
temperature. PRPD patterns obtained at 50 Hz confirmed the
delamination discharge activity.
Same stator coils were further subjected to thermal stress for
repeated 50 h cycle. After six cycles, PRPD patterns and the
discharge parameters at 50 Hz confirmed the presence of
delamination discharge activity near the copper conductor. To
characterise this discharge activity at all excitation frequencies, the
measurement was required to be carried out at voltages higher than
6 kV. Hence PD measurements were carried out at 4–8 kV with
different excitation frequencies.
3.3 Slot discharge
To create slot discharge, a rectangular portion (45 mm × 30 mm) of
semi-conducting tape was removed from the surface of stator coils
as shown in Fig. 2a. To replicate the core portion, a flat steel plate
was used and it was tightly clamped over the bare insulation
surface with a gap of 0.3 mm between insulation surface and steel
plate. A conditioning time of 12 h at 6.6 kV, 50 Hz was maintained
to obtain the typical asymmetric PRPD pattern of slot discharge
[22, 23]. PD measurements were carried out after immediately
removing the tape, after conditioning time of 1 and 12 h at 4, 5 and
6 kV with different excitation frequencies. PRPD patterns were
found varying with conditioning time and excitation frequency.
The details are discussed in the subsequent section.
3.4 End-winding corona discharge
Corona discharge activity was created at the stress grading junction
by removing layers of semi-conducting tape near the junction of
stress grading tape and semi-conducting tape, as shown in Fig. 2b.
Typical PRPD pattern at 50 Hz confirmed the presence of corona
activity. PD measurements were carried out at 3, 4 and 5 kV with
different excitation frequencies. During slot and end-winding
corona discharge measurements, insulation surface temperature
was maintained at 50°C throughout the measurement.
4 Results and discussions
4.1 Internal delamination discharge
The PRPD patterns obtained for internal delamination discharges
were found symmetric at all excitation frequencies. PRPD patterns
are shown in Fig. 3.
Integrated charge per cycle at different excitation frequencies is
shown in Fig. 4. The positive and negative integrated charges were
nearly equal. As excitation frequency was reduced below 50 Hz,
both positive and negative integrated charges have shown an
increasing trend. At 0.1 Hz, there was a reduction in integrated
charge as compared to the previous measurement frequency (1 Hz)
due to significant charge decay. The charge decay is significant
because of the longer time period at 0.1 Hz, which gives more time
for charges to decay between two consecutive discharge pulses.
Fig. 5 shows positive and negative charge magnitude
distribution curves at different excitation frequencies. With the
reduction in the frequency, the number of low magnitude
discharges increases due to charge spread over the insulation
surface. There is also a reduction in peak discharge magnitude due
to both charge spread and charge decay.
From Table 1, it can be seen that the number of discharge pulses
of both polarities increases with the reduction in the frequency.
Despite having a large number of pulses, the integrated charge
reduces at 0.1 Hz because the majority of discharge pulses which
are of low magnitude do not contribute as much to the integrated
charge as the higher magnitude discharge pulses do. The ratio of
positive and negative integrated charges was nearly 1, representing
a symmetric discharge.
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Fig. 6 Delamination near conductor PRPD pattern at 8 kV
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz

Fig. 5 Internal delamination discharge magnitude distribution at 5 kV

(a) Positive discharge magnitude distribution, (b) Negative discharge magnitude
distribution

Table 1 PD parameters of internal delamination discharge

at 5 kV
PD parameters Excitation frequency, Hz
50 10 1 0.1
∑ Q + nC/cycle 213.92 280.54 326.72 319.30
∑ Q − nC/cycle 223.25 284.74 332.65 324.30
Fig. 7 Per cycle integrated charge as a function excitation frequency for
N + (pulse/cycle) 277.87 455.61 646.56 734.93
delamination discharge near conductor at 8 kV
N − (pulse/cycle) 267.85 429.96 615.93 738.76
∑Q + 0.96 0.99 0.98 0.98 frequency is reduced. Therefore, the discharge activity at
∑Q − delaminations near conductor is less dominant at low frequency, in
particular at 0.1 Hz. This expected reduction in delamination
discharge activity near the conductor is not visible in the PRPD
4.2 Delamination discharge near conductor pattern since there is a dominant internal delamination discharge
occurring simultaneously, which overlaps asymmetric delamination
The PRPD patterns obtained for delamination discharges near
discharges near the conductor. This explanation was evident with
copper conductor appeared asymmetric at 50 and 10 Hz, whereas at
the increase in measurement voltage; see the Appendix for a table
1 and 0.1 Hz patterns appear symmetric. PRPD patterns are shown
of results.
in Fig. 6. Integrated charge per cycle at different excitation
frequencies is shown in Fig. 7. The negative integrated charge
magnitude was higher compared to positive integrated charge. In 4.3 Slot discharge
this type of PD source also, as excitation frequency was reduced After creating slot discharge defects, PD measurements were
below 50 Hz both positive and negative integrated charges have carried out after a conditioning time of 12 h. The asymmetric
shown an increasing trend till 1 Hz and thereafter a reduction in PRPD patterns at 5 kV with different excitation frequencies after a
integrated charge at 0.1 Hz. Similar observations were made in the conditioning time of 12 h is shown in Fig. 9. Integrated charge per
internal delamination discharge. cycle at different excitation frequencies is shown in Fig. 10. The
Fig. 8 shows positive and negative charge magnitude discharge magnitude in the positive half cycle was small compared
distribution curves at different excitation frequencies. The number to the negative half cycle. There was a reduction in positive
of low magnitude discharge pulses is increasing with a reduction in integrated charge at 0.1 Hz, due to charge decay. However, the
excitation frequencies. A reduction in peak magnitude was also negative integrated charge was found decreasing drastically with a
observed at low frequency. decrease in excitation frequency immediately below 50 Hz. This
From Table 2, it can be seen that the number of discharge pulses aspect can be seen in Table 3.
of both polarities increases with the reduction in the frequency. Fig. 11 shows positive and negative charge magnitude
There was a reduction in integrated charge at 0.1 Hz due to charge distribution curves at different excitation frequencies. The number
decay, which also results in a reduction of peak magnitude of low magnitude positive discharge pulses is increasing with the
discharges. The ratio of positive and negative integrated charges is reduction in excitation frequency. A reduction in peak magnitude
less than 1 at all frequencies, representing an asymmetric was also observed due to charge spread and charge decay. The
discharge. It was observed that the ratio increases or approached reduction in peak magnitude and a number of pulses is drastic in
unity as the frequency was reduced. The reason for this behaviour case negative discharge pulse. The reason for this drastic reduction
could plausibly be an increase of charge decay as excitation

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Fig. 9 Slot discharge PRPD pattern at 5 kV
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz

Fig. 8 Discharge magnitude distribution for delamination discharge near

conductor at 8 kV
(a) Positive discharge magnitude distribution, (b) Negative discharge magnitude
distribution

Table 2 PD parameters of delamination discharge near

conductor at 8 kV
PD parameters Excitation frequency, Hz
50 10 1 0.1
∑ Q + nC/cycle 612.65 1272.6 2014.48 1748.58
Fig. 10 Per cycle integrated charge as a function excitation frequency for
∑ Q − nC/cycle 882.04 1668.13 2311.01 1953.19
slot discharge at 5 kV
N + (pulse/cycle) 491.30 2062.27 6227.32 7436.84
N − (pulse/cycle) 492.74 2002.16 6181.92 7590.65 to residual charges field is not available on the insulation surface
∑Q + 0.69 0.76 0.87 0.89 results in high magnitude discharge pulses during the positive half
∑Q − cycle.
During the negative half cycle, insulation surface acts as a
cathode and grounded steel as an anode. Sufficient electrons from
Table 3 PD parameters of slot discharge at 5 kV the previous discharge are available on the insulation surface to
PD parameters Excitation frequency, Hz start the discharge process. Hence, both in negative and positive
50 10 1 0.1 half cycles, there will be a large magnitude of discharge pulses.
The PRPD pattern is nearly symmetric, as shown in Fig. 12.
∑ Q + nC/cycle 82.16 100.48 107.14 102.37
Now, as the conditioning progresses, the conductivity of
∑ Q − nC/cycle 18.49 18.13 9.31 2.92 insulation surface increases due to conductive discharge by-
N + (pulse/cycle) 86.18 139.05 181.37 316.61 products. Due to increased conductivity residual charges, from
N − (pulse/cycle) 103.95 86.41 46.68 17.39 previous discharge, spread over the insulation surface. Due to
∑Q + 4.44 5.54 11.51 35.06 charge spread over, the net electric field is reduced as compared to
∑Q − the earlier case. Now in this condition, during a positive half cycle
number of discharge pulses increases but the peak magnitude
reduces.
in negative integrated charge was the combined effect of charge Apart from the modification of insulation surface, steel surface
spread on anode insulation surface and oxidation of the cathode also changes with conditioning time. During conditioning, PD
steel surface [23, 24]. The effect of charge spread is discussed in generates highly oxidising agent, ozone and also due to the impact
detail in previous studies [20, 22]. of ions on the steel surface, corrosion of steel accelerates. Due to
During the positive half cycle, insulation acts as an anode and oxidation of steel, there is a reduction in the availability of a free
grounded steel acts as a cathode. When field across the air-gap electron to initiate discharge during the positive half cycle. This
reaches breakdown value, steel (cathode) has plenty of free further reduces the discharge pulse magnitude and several
electrons to start the discharge process. Further, before discharge pulses. During the negative half cycle, there are
conditioning, i.e. immediately after the creation of defect, the sufficient residual charges to start the discharge process; hence,
insulation surface is highly resistive. Charges from previous even after conditioning period, there are high magnitude discharges
discharge are not spread over the insulation surface and electric occurring in the negative half cycle.
field magnitude is high at a point where there is no opposition from As excitation frequency is reduced, the residual charges on the
lumps of residual charge [23]. These points where opposition due insulation surface get more time to spread over the surface.

926 IET Sci. Meas. Technol., 2019, Vol. 13 Iss. 6, pp. 922-930
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Fig. 11 Slot discharge magnitude distribution at 5 kV
(a) Positive discharge magnitude distribution, (b) Negative discharge magnitude
distribution
Fig. 12 Slot discharge PRPD pattern before conditioning at 5 kV
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz
Therefore, for a particular conditioning period, in the positive half
cycle, there is a drastic reduction in magnitude and number of
discharge pulses at lower frequencies and hence, the ratio of
positive and negative integrated charge is highest at the lowest
excitation frequency. Due to this reason after 1 h conditioning
period, the pattern at low frequency was asymmetric, whereas the
patterns were symmetric at high frequencies as shown in Fig. 13.
Further, at the positive half cycle, the discharge pulse magnitude is
low and the number of discharge pulse is high at low frequencies
due to charge spread and charge decay. Table 3 shows the PD
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Fig. 13 Slot discharge PRPD pattern after 1 h conditioning at 5 kV
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz
Table 4 Ratio of integrated charge for slot discharge at 5 
kV
Conditioning time, h ∑Q +
∑Q −
At 50 Hz At 10 Hz At 1 Hz At 0.1 Hz
0 1.09 1.11 1.09 1.65
1 1.13 1.33 3.11 6.45
12 4.44 5.54 11.51 35.06
parameters of slot discharges measured at 5 kV at different
excitation frequencies.
The ratio of positive and negative integrated charges is greater
than 1 at all excitation frequencies, representing an asymmetric
discharge pattern. It was observed that the ratio increases as
excitation frequency was reduced. The ratio was high at 0.1 Hz
compared to 50 Hz due to a drastic reduction of negative integrated
charge at low frequency, as shown in Table 3.
Table 4 shows the ratio of positive and negative integrated
charges for three instances of the conditioning period at 5 kV. The
ratio of positive and negative integrated charges was nearly 1 at 50 
Hz for the early hours of conditioning, representing a symmetric
discharge pattern. This suggests that even when slot discharges are
occurring, the PRPD pattern may not be asymmetric as expected.
The asymmetry of the slot discharge pattern is more dominating at
low frequency.
4.4 End-winding corona discharge
The PRPD patterns obtained for corona discharge at the junction of
semi-conducting tape and stress grading tape at 5 kV at different
excitation frequencies are shown in Fig. 14. The PRPD patterns
were found asymmetric at all excitation frequencies. Unlike slot
discharge patterns, corona discharge patterns were not having a
sharp rise near the zero crossing. The patterns appeared more round
in shape.
As shown in Fig. 15 corona discharges showed a very distinct
variation of integrated charges with excitation frequency as
compared to previously mentioned discharge sources. There was
no reduction in integrated charge value as excitation frequency was
reduced.
Fig. 16 shows the positive and negative charge magnitude
distribution curves at different excitation frequencies. The number
of discharge pulses increases with the reduction in excitation
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Fig. 14 End-winding corona PRPD pattern at 5 kV
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz

Fig. 16 End-winding corona discharge magnitude distribution at 5 kV

(a) Positive discharge magnitude distribution, (b) Negative discharge magnitude
distribution

extinguishing the discharge [11–13, 25]. Whereas at low frequency,

there is sufficient time between the polarity reversal of voltage
cycle and the probability of drifting way of positive ion clouds
from the anode and recombination drift away and recombining is
high. Therefore, the shielding effect is less at low frequencies
leading to high discharge magnitude and a higher number of
discharge pulses. Further, there will be an increase in electric field
concentration at the tip of stress grading tape at low-frequency
Fig. 15 Per cycle integrated charge as a function excitation frequency for excitation [18]. This increase in the electric field at low frequency
end-winding corona at 5 kV can further intensify discharges at 0.1 Hz as compared to the power
frequency. Hence, there was no reduction in integrated charge
Table 5 PD parameters of end-winding corona discharge at value as excitation frequency was reduced, which is a distinct
5 kV feature of end-winding corona discharge as compared to other PD
sources. Table 5, it can be seen that the number of discharge pulses
PD parameters Excitation frequency, Hz of both polarities increases with a reduction in excitation
50 10 1 0.1 frequency.
∑ Q + nC/cycle 154.32 199.82 215.81 517.06
∑ Q − nC/cycle 33.32 39.42 46.98 74.84 5 Conclusion
N + (pulse/cycle) 151.18 220.11 271.16 521.51
In this paper, PD characteristics of delamination discharge, slot
N − (pulse/cycle) 162.85 224.26 296.21 478.93 discharge and end-winding corona discharge were studied at a
∑Q + 4.63 5.07 4.59 6.91 variable excitation frequency in the range of 50–0.1 Hz. Results
∑Q − show that the PRPD pattern of internal delamination discharge was
symmetric at all excitation frequencies. In the case of delamination
discharge near the copper conductor, PRPD pattern appears
frequencies. There was no significant reduction in peak discharge asymmetric at 50 and 10 Hz, whereas the pattern is symmetric at 1
magnitude at low frequencies, as was observed in slot discharge. and 0.1 Hz.
In all previous discharge sources, integrated charge value kept For slot discharge, the ratio of positive and negative per cycle
increasing with a reduction in excitation frequency but the value integrated charge was found increasing with a reduction in
reduced at 0.1 Hz. This reduction at 0.1 Hz was due to significant excitation frequency. Even when the initial PRPD pattern of slot
charge decay and charge spread. When residual charges decay, discharge was symmetric at 50 Hz, low-frequency measurements
their influence on the net electric field is minimal. However, in the showed an asymmetric pattern indicating the presence of slot
case of end-winding corona discharge, the trend was different. discharge which would have gone unnoticed if measurements were
Corona discharges occur in ambient air just outside the slot restricted to the power frequency.
region of the core. At the tip of thin semi-conducting tape, there The experimental results also show that discharge parameters
will be a stress concentration which leads to corona discharge in like per cycle integrated charge and per cycle number of discharge
air. This discharge occurs due to the tangential component of the pulse were dependent on excitation frequency. For delamination
electric field, parallel to insulation surface. The decrease in several and slot discharge, per cycle integrated charge increases with
discharge pulses and the integrated charge at high frequency is due reduction in frequency followed by a decrease in value at 0.1 Hz.
to retention of positive ion clouds near the anode (tip of semi- However, in case of the end winding corona discharge, per cycle
conducting tape) from previous discharge. These positive ion integrated charge showed a significant increase in value at low
clouds increase in concentration and shields the anode, thereby
928 IET Sci. Meas. Technol., 2019, Vol. 13 Iss. 6, pp. 922-930
© The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2019
 17518830, 2019, 6, Downloaded from https://ietresearch.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1049/iet-smt.2018.5666 by Nat Prov Indonesia, Wiley Online Library on [26/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
Table 6 PD parameters of delamination discharge near conductor at 4–8 kV
PD parameters Voltage, kV Excitation frequency, Hz
50 10 1 0.1
N + (pulse/cycle) 4 247.67 521.61 540.22 394.61
5 401.78 1252.08 1810.91 1241.22
6 452.46 1667.57 3508.3 2797.74
7 473.98 1852.25 4813.48 5475.10
8 491.30 2062.27 6227.32 7436.84
N − (pulse/cycle) 4 237.59 494.63 542.16 374.61
5 396.72 1203.21 1853.05 1242.87
6 449.16 1634.71 3622.37 2821.54
7 478.46 1815.33 4873.49 5509.09
8 492.74 2002.16 6181.92 7590.65
∑Q + 4 0.80 0.85 0.91 1.07
∑Q − 5 0.77 0.84 0.88 0.97
6 0.74 0.82 0.87 0.94
7 0.71 0.78 0.87 0.92
8 0.69 0.76 0.87 0.89

frequency, particularly at 0.1 Hz. This characteristic of end-
winding corona discharge was distinct from delamination and slot
discharge. This distinct feature was observed because of the
measurements carried out at lower frequencies along with power
frequency.
6 Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the management of Central Power
Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru, India, for the award of
Senior Research Fellowship and for granting permission to register
for PhD at Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi, India.
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8 Appendix
As shown in Table 6, at voltages 4, 5 and 6 kV, the number of
positive and negative discharge pulses showed an increasing trend
with a reduction in excitation frequency till 1 Hz. At 0.1 Hz there
was a reduction in a number of discharge pulses compared to 1 Hz.
This reduction could be due to less dominant delamination
discharge activity near conductor at 0.1 Hz, as can be seen, that the
ratio of positive and negative integrated charges was nearly 1 at
0.1 Hz for 4, 5 and 6 kV. As the voltage was further increased,
delaminations near conductor begin to ionise even at 0.1 Hz and at
voltages 7 and 8 kV, a number of discharge pulses showed an
increasing trend even after 1 Hz, i.e. till 0.1 Hz.
At higher applied voltage, the electrons that were trapped
deeper in the insulation surface started to participate in the
discharge process. Hence, the ratio of positive and negative
integrated charges was also seen to decrease with increasing
voltage for all excitation frequencies due to the significant increase
in delamination discharge activity near the conductor.
Further, histograms of the FFT spectrum for each discharge
sources measured at frequencies 50–0.1 Hz are shown in Figs. 17–
20. The comparison suggests that peak amplitude of FFT of PD
input in reduces with a reduction in excitation frequency for

IET Sci. Meas. Technol., 2019, Vol. 13 Iss. 6, pp. 922-930 929
© The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2019

Fig. 17 Histogram of PD input FFT spectrum for internal delamination
discharge
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz
Fig. 18 Histogram of PD input FFT spectrum for delamination discharge
near copper
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz
internal delamination discharge, delamination discharge near
copper and slot discharge. However, there is no significant
930
17518830, 2019, 6, Downloaded from https://ietresearch.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1049/iet-smt.2018.5666 by Nat Prov Indonesia, Wiley Online Library on [26/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
Fig. 19 Histogram of PD input FFT spectrum for slot discharge
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz
Fig. 20 Histogram of PD input FFT spectrum for end-winding corona
discharge
(a) 50 Hz, (b) 10 Hz, (c) 1 Hz, (d) 0.1 Hz
reduction observed in the case of end-winding corona discharge.
Similar results are obtained from the PRPD pattern analysis.
IET Sci. Meas. Technol., 2019, Vol. 13 Iss. 6, pp. 922-930
© The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2019