Microstrip Patch Antenna for Partial Discharge detection as a condition monitoring tool of power system assets

Abstract

An electric power system consists of a number of critical and expensive equipment that operate under high electric stresses. Failure of such an asset can lead to unscheduled interruptions and incur huge economic losses. Partial Discharges are considered as one of the main causes of degradation of electrical insulation in any power system asset. Frequent and successive occurrence or extensive levels of partial discharge activity can damage power system components, and even lead to hazardous events which affect mankind. Therefore, it is recommended to use partial discharge detection as a condition monitoring technique in order to ensure the reliability of these assets. This gives the asset management engineers adequate warning to take necessary actions to rectify the situation if the equipment are found to be faulty. In this paper, a Microstrip Patch Antenna has been designed using radio frequency method, in order to detect electromagnetic waves that occur due to the partial discharge activity in power system assets. This paper discusses the design specifications, experimental procedure, observations and results involved with partial discharge detection using a microstrip patch antenna, which is a cost effective, non-contact, reliable and online condition monitoring method for certain types of power system assets.