Partial discharge simulations used for the design of a non-intrusive cable condition monitoring technique

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of PD (partial discharge) activity within medium voltage XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) cables. The effect of partial discharge was studied by means of a number of simulations. The simulations were based on the well-known three capacitor model for partial discharge. An equivalent circuit was derived for partial discharge due to a single void in the insulation material of a power cable. The results obtained from the simulations will form the basis of the design proses of a non-intrusive condition monitoring technique. The technique is based on the classification of discharge activity according to five levels of PD. Future work will include the improvement of the simulation model by investigating the high frequency model of a power cable as well as the statistical nature of PD activity. This will improve the accuracy of the simulation results when compared to actual measurements. The work discussed in this paper will be used to construct and calibrate a practical model which will make use of PD measurements for non-intrusive condition monitoring of medium voltage electrical cables.