Application of dielectric response measurement on power cable systems

Water treeing is one of the factors leading to failure of medium voltage XLPE cables in long-term service. Increased moisture content inside oil-paper insulated cable is not desirable. To identify water tree degraded XLPE cables or oil-paper cables with high moisture content, diagnostic tests based on dielectric response (DR) measurement in time and frequency domain are used. Review of individual DR measurement techniques in the time and frequency domains indicates that measurement of one parameter in either domain may not be sufficient to reveal the status of the cable insulation. But a combination of several DR parameters can improve diagnostic results with respect to water trees present in XLPE cables or increased moisture content in oil-paper cables. DR measurement is a very useful tool that reveals average condition of cable systems. However, it is unlikely that DR measurement will detect few, but long water trees. In addition, DR cannot locate the defect or water tree site within the cable system. Combination of DR and partial discharge (PD) measurements can improve diagnostic results with respect to global and local defects. However, it is doubtful whether PD test can identify the presence of water trees inside a cable in a nondestructive manner. Further research is needed for more detailed conclusions regarding the status of a particular insulation and for predicting the remaining life of the insulation system.     

A novel wavelet transform technique for on-line partial discharge measurements. 1. WT de-noising algorithm

Medium and high voltage power cables are widely used in the electrical industry with substantial growth over the last 20-30 years ago, particular in the use of XLPE insulated systems. Ageing of the cable insulation is becoming an increasing problem that requires development of reliable methods for on-line condition assessment. For insulation condition assessment of MV and HV cables, partial discharge (PD) monitoring is one of the most effective techniques. However on-site and on-line PD measurements are affected by electromagnetic interference (EMI) that makes sensitive PD detection very difficult, if not impossible. This paper describes implementation of wavelet transform techniques to reject noise from on-line partial discharge measurements on cables. A new wavelet threshold determination method is proposed with the technique. With implementation of this novel de-noising method, PD measurement sensitivity has been greatly improved. In addition, a full AC cycle data recovery can be achieved instead of focusing only on recovering individual PD pulses. Other wavelet threshold de-noising methods are discussed and examined under a noisy environment to compare their performance with the new method proposed here. The method described here has been found to be superior to the other wavelet-based methods     

PD inference for the early detection of electrical treeing in insulation systems

Partial discharge (PD) measurements constitute one of the most promising tools for electrical insulation diagnosis. This paper describes how a procedure based on PD measurements can provide early detection of electrical trees in polymeric insulation systems. Such an application relies upon a new methodology, which provides enhanced tools for the identification of PD generating defects. Tree inference is carried out stepwise. Acquired signals are primarily separated according to their waveform, thus achieving data sets related to a specific PD typology. Then, fuzzy algorithms are applied to PD height and phase derived quantities belonging to these homogeneous data sets, in order to assign a membership degree to specific output categories. If the data set is relevant to an internal defect, a further analysis is performed in order to establish whether or not this defect is a treed region. The algorithm described in this paper was developed resorting to tests performed on artificial test specimens and electrical apparatus. In particular, the rules to detect the presence of electrical trees were derived from experiments carried out on needle-plane objects, constituted by slabs of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) where a needle is inserted and partially extracted in order to generate a cavity in front of the needle tip. Tests were also performed on cables having artificial defects., as well as on other insulation systems, such as high frequency transformers. Applications of the proposed approach to MV cables and to HV transformers show that electrical trees can be detected successfully before final breakdown.     

Advanced PD inference in on-field measurements. II. Identification of defects in solid insulation systems

Results of investigations performed to evaluate the effectiveness of a new inference method for the diagnosis of solid insulation systems, based on partial discharge (PD) measurements, are reported in this paper. Signal separation, noise recognition, and PD source identification are the main features of the proposed inference method. Techniques for signal separation and automatic noise rejection are reported in the 1st part of this paper, while the problem of the identification of PD phenomena, occurring in defects of insulation systems, is approached in this 2nd part. The identification is based on fuzzy logic and enables the recognition of PD generated from different basic sources, such as internal, surface and corona discharges. It is shown that the different source typologies can be identified by means of fuzzy rules applied to a selection of parameters derived from PD-pulse phase and amplitude distribution analysis, once PD phenomena have been clustered in homogeneous class through a fuzzy algorithm based on PD-pulse shape. The proposed identification procedure is finally applied to rotating machines and cables, affected by insulation defects, showing promising on-field applications.     

基于卷积神经网络的高压电缆局部放电模式识别

由高压电缆不同类型缺陷诱发的局部放电(PD)的识别难度较大,尤其是某些相似度较高的电缆绝缘缺陷类型难以区分。提出了一种基于卷积神经网络(CNN)的高压电缆PD模式识别方法,研究了不同网络层数、不同激活函数以及不同池化方式对识别效果的影响,并与传统的支持向量机(SVM)和反向传播神经网络(BPNN)算法进行了对比。结果表明,相比SVM和BPNN,CNN的总体识别精度分别提高了3.71%和4.06%,且能较好地识别具有高相似度的电缆缺陷类型。     

交联聚乙烯电缆局部放电在线监测系统研制

监测局部放电是评价电力电缆绝缘状况的重要手段,而目前国内对电力电缆局部放电进行测量所用的系统频率较低,为此文中研究了用宽频带电磁耦合法来检测交联聚乙烯(XLPE)电力电缆的局部放电.它由Rogowski线圈型电流传感器、放大器、滤波器和数字示波器组成,带宽为1 MHz～20 MHz,符合宽频带检测的要求.对不同模拟缺陷和电缆上人为缺陷的检测表明,该方法与IEC 60270的方法相比具有一定的灵敏度,可以有效检测到局部放电信号,并且可以很好地识别出不同典型缺陷的局部放电.     

A new methodology for the identification of PD in electrical apparatus: properties and applications

Applications of a new methodology, aimed at the identification of defects occurring in insulation systems of HV apparatus and based on partial discharge (PD) measurements, are presented in this paper. This methodology relies upon the digital acquisition of a large amount of PD pulses and separates the acquired pulses into homogeneous subclasses. Signal processing tools recognize the presence of noise among the different classes. Identification of basic PD source typologies (i.e., internal, corona and surface discharges) is then achieved, resorting to fuzzy algorithms. The proposed procedure is applied to measurements performed on different HV apparatus, such as cables, transformers and rotating machines. The purpose of this paper is to show that the identification process is robust, regarding the measuring circuit, and flexible, so that it can constitute an advanced tool for condition based maintenance, guiding maintenance experts in making decisions on the condition of the insulation system under test.     

场强的提高对局部放电测试的影响

局部放电 (PD)是检测 XL PE电缆缺陷的一种重要手段 ,缺陷会造成电缆的局部场强的不均匀 ,在施加外部电压后引起局部放电的现象。本文提出 :在 XL PE电缆承受耐压的过程中 ,采用提高场强的方法 ,能更有效地发现 PD缺陷 ,从而降低 XL PE电缆在运行中的击穿事故。     

Enhancing the significance of PD measurements

Specifications for PD tests on cables and equipment have been harmonized gradually during the past thirty years. However, there are still marked differences in the requirements for overvoltage conditioning, prior to PD tests, also in the voltages at which PD measurements are made. The merits of various specifications are discussed in relation to the conditions which cause PD and determine their magnitude and recurrence, in different types of insulation     

Selectivity of damped AC (DAC) and VLF voltages in after-laying tests of extruded MV cable systems

The purpose of HV after-laying tests on cable systems on-site is to check the quality of installation. The test on extruded MV cable systems is usually a voltage test. However, in order to enhance the quality of after installation many researchers have proposed performance of diagnosis tests such as detection, location and identification of partial discharges (PD) and tan /spl delta/ measurements. Damped AC voltage (DAC) also called oscillating voltage waves (OVW) is used for PD measurement in after-laying tests of new cables and in diagnostic test of old cables. Continuous AC voltage of very low frequency (VLF) is used for withstand voltage tests as well as for diagnostic tests with PD and tan /spl delta/ measurements. Review on the DAC and VLF tests to detect defects during on-site after-laying tests of extruded MV cable systems is presented. Selectivity of DAC and VLF voltages in after-laying testing depends on different test parameters. PD process depends on type and frequency of the test voltage and hence, the breakdown voltage is different. The withstand voltage of XLPE cable insulation decreases linearly with increasing frequency in log scale. Experimental studies with artificial XLPE cable model indicate that detection of defects with DAC or VLF voltage can be done at a lower voltage than with DC. DAC voltage is sensitive in detecting defects that cause a breakdown due to void discharge, while VLF is sensitive in detecting defects that cause breakdown directly led by inception of electrical trees.     

On-line partial discharge detection in cables

This paper describes an on-line PD (partial discharge) detection technique applicable to power cables. The method can be applied to both wire screen and solid shielded cables. In wire screen shielded cables, PD components with frequencies <100 MHz can be detected at distances over 150 m from the source, PD activity with levels as low as 20 pC can be detected within 100 m. However, in the case of solid shielded cables, PD levels of ⩾50 pC can be measured within 60 m in the frequency range <50 MHz. This method also can be utilized to check cable accessories such as splices and terminations. PD pulses with frequencies to ~300 MHz can be measured near the joints and terminations. The suitability and the sensitivity of the VHF technique were checked against two other alternative PD detecting techniques (pulse phase analyzer and high speed digital oscilloscope) by performing PD measurements in standard air gap and defects induced in EPR-insulated cable under laboratory-controlled conditions. The suitability and sensitivity of the VHF method were as good as the two alternative PD detection techniques     

在线局部放电监测技术的实际应用

局部放电测量装置价格高 ,安装局部放电传感器和对结果进行解释的困难妨碍了它的广泛应用。通过 5年的研究开发和广泛的工业应用 ,工业研究公司(TRL)进行的快速非侵入性在线局放测量可使工业界通过有效经济的预言以及状态检修来保护它们的主设备     

A novel wavelet transform technique for on-line partial discharge measurements. 2. On-site noise rejection application

For pt.I see ibid., p.3-14, (2007). Insulation assessment of HV cables requires continuous partial discharge (PD) monitoring to identify the nature of insulation defects and to determine any degradation trends. However to recover PD signals with sufficient sensitivity to determine such insulation degradation in substations with high levels of electromagnetic interference is a major challenge. This paper is the second of two papers addressing this challenge for on-line PD measurements in a noisy environment. The first paper described a wavelet transform-based method of interference rejection. This paper applies that method to the problem of on-site testing, using both laboratory tests and on-site tests. The laboratory tests were used to stimulate the noisy on-site testing environment, with use of transient pulse-like noise, discrete spectral interference (DSI) and white noise. These noise types have been successfully rejected by the method proposed in the first paper. In addition, on-site tests have been undertaken and have been able to detect PD signals in an old 11 kV substation multi-cable installation     

A generalized approach to partial discharge modeling

An important tool for improving the reliability of HV insulation systems are partial discharge (PD) measurements. The interpretation of such measurements aims at extracting from the measured data information about insulation defects which then are used for estimating the risk of insulation failure of the equipment. Because the physical understanding of PD has made substantial progress in the last decade, it can now be exploited to support interpretation. In this paper a concept is presented which merges the available physical knowledge about various PD types into a generalized model which can be applied to arbitrary insulation defects. This approach will be restricted to PD of the streamer type in gases and at gas-insulator interfaces which cover a large fraction of the cases encountered in technical insulation systems. The generalized model allows us to derive approximate relations between defect characteristics, insulation design parameters and test conditions on one side, and measurable PD characteristics on the other. The inversion of these relations yields rules for extracting defect information from the PD data. The application of the generalized model is illustrated by two simple examples, namely, spherical voids in an insulator and electrode protrusions in SF₆     

便携式在线局部放电测量技术经济有效的绝缘诊断方法

9年来，新西兰工业研究公司(IRL NZ)开发并广泛地在电力工业中应用了快速、非侵入、便携式在线局部放电(局放)测量技术^[1-2]。该技术为电力系统中日益增多的超龄老化设备提供了一经济有效的绝缘诊断工具，使工业界实施预防性维护，保护其重要设备。根据其绝缘诊断，合理地决定是否对价值百万的设备进行修理或更换。该技术广泛地用于电机、电缆、特别是户内开关母线及变压器绝缘诊断与监测。介绍和讨论了它的使用原理,经济效益和许多现场运用的结果。该便携式在线局放测量技术的优越性和其非侵入局放传感器用于各种设备的位置示例于这些现场实例中。该技术已由华能时代科技有限公司引进，正在电力系统推广应用。     

Partial discharge diagnostics and electrical equipment insulation condition assessment

Partial discharge (PD) measurement has long been used as a test to evaluate different insulation system designs, and as a quality control test for new equipment. However, in the past 20 years, PD measurement has been widely applied to diagnose the condition of the electrical insulation in operating apparatus such as switchgear, transformers, cables, as well as motor and generator stator windings. Improvements in the capabilities as well the lower cost of sensors, electronics and memory is partly the reason for the increased popularity of PD diagnostics. Another reason has been the development of methods-including the use of ultrawide band detection-to improve the reliability of the PD measurement in the presence of noise. In addition, rapid progress is being made in automated pattern recognition techniques that also helps to suppress noise. This paper reviews the various PD measurement technologies that have been specifically developed to improve PD diagnostic methods, and outlines how they have been implemented for stators, cables, transformers and switchgear. Areas for further research are also presented.     

A new partial discharge detection method for live UHV/EHV cable joints

Partial discharge (PD) detection on live UHVEHV power cables and accessories is one of the most important techniques to prevent cable systems from serious difficulties caused by slight errors in joining the cables. A new PD detecting method is proposed in this paper. A resonance-type partial discharge (REDI) sensor is developed for detecting PD occurring inside the joints of live XLPE insulated cables. This sensor picks up the high-frequency components of PD current pulses on the surface of live cables, hence the output signals can clearly be observed at the noiseless area (for example, 10-60 MHZ). This new method was applied to the initial ac breakdown tests with three different types of joints of UHV/EHV power cables. The PD pulse sequence was detected before their breakdown in all cases. The charge quantity and the number of pulses increased tremendously just before the breakdown. In addition, the phase of PD pulse against the applied voltage (?-q characteristics) changes with time or with the progress of deterioration. According to these experimental results, the REDI sensor can be applied to the insulation diagnosis of live power cable joints.     

The Performance of Strippable and Bonded Screened Medium-Voltage XLPE-Insulated Cables Under Long-Term Accelerated Aging

XLPE high-voltage underground cables are being extensively used in Arabian Gulf countries. Most of these cables are being manufactured locally. Although XLPE has excellent dielectric characteristics, extensive premature failures have been reported by the local power utilities. The main causes of such premature failures are related to manufacturing defects and insulation degradation mainly caused by water treeing phenomena. In this research work, five types of 15-kV, XLPE-insulated cables were subjected to accelerated aging under simultaneous electrical, thermal, and environmental stresses for periods of 60, 120, and 180 days. After each aging period, partial-discharge (PD), mechanical properties, ac dielectric strength and the extent of degradation due to water treeing of these cables were measured. The results show that PD and mechanical properties show just little variations whereas the ac-retained dielectric strength decreases rapidly in the first 60 days after which the rate of its decrease retards. Correlations are established between the retained dielectric strength and the lengths of the longest water trees. Pros and cons of the insulating materials that are used as well as the role of strippable and bonded semiconducting screens are also discussed     

Development of 500-kV XLPE cables and accessories for long distanceunderground transmission line-Part I: insulation design of cables

This paper discusses the results of a basic study for the development of 500 kV XLPE power cables. The authors have established that the factors that decide the performance of today's XLPE cables are impurities in the insulator and protrusions on the semiconductive layer, and that the insulation performance of XLPE power cables is determined by the size of these defects. In model tests of XLPE power cables, the minimum insulation breakdown stress of cables was determined, to set the design values for 500 kV XLPE cable. As a result, it was found that it is possible to design cables having an insulation thickness of 25 mm     

Research on influence of high-voltage cable un-homogeneities on process of short waves distribution

The partial discharges (PDs) inside of high-voltage cable insulation negatively influence cable service lifespan. Therefore timely detection and localization of affected areas with the weakened electric insulation is a vital question, in particular—according to measured values of PD parameters before they reach the dangerous stage of their development. Electrical cable is a circuit with the distributed parameters for current and voltage waves, initiated by local PD which changes their starting values with time. These changes can be taken as informative parameters for solving problems of localization of the defect and evaluation of dangers to cable's performance. Clear and detailed understanding of PD pulse distribution features in power cables is the basis for correctly solving cable diagnostics tasks with non-destructive approaches. This article uses the mathematical model of a power cable on the premises of cable equations. The model allows for modeling of wave processes in a non-uniform electric circuit (at sudden change of longitudinal parameters) in view of repeated reflection of PD waves from the ends and un-homogeneities of an electric cable. Results of mathematical modeling were compared to the data received from physical model of 110 kV XLPE electric cable. The cable physical model is realized with the help of the chained circuit consisting of 15 quad-poles. This document shows results of measurements and modeling of wave process caused by PD. Also, details of the wave process as dependent on time and frequency, and practical use of measurements of PD for cable insulation control, are discussed. Practical measurements show high degree of accuracy with regards to the data generated by theoretical model analysis.