Cost-effective on-line partial discharge of measurements for cables

On-line partial discharge (PD) measurements are an efficient method for detecting certain insulation defects of cables. These include defects in cable joints and terminations, and defects due to mechanical impact. Noninvasive, efficient, and widely applicable, portable on-line PD measurement techniques are strongly favored by the electricity industry. Three on-site PD measurements for cables are described in this article to illustrate how the techniques achieve cost-effective insulation diagnosis to protect the main assets.