Improved fibre optic acoustic sensors for partial discharge in elastomeric insulations

Abstract

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.