The diagnostic examination of partial discharges (PD) is regarded a powerful, non-destructive and sensitive diagnostic tool for the condition assessment of insulating systems. Two major tasks of PD measurements may be distinguished, (i) providing evidence of PD (detection) and (ii) the location of the PD. Particularly with regard to the question "Where is the PD source?", the possibility to geometrically localize the flaw, by means of arrival times of the acoustic signals, gets an extremely interesting option. For the estimation of the PD site precise measurements of acoustic arrival times and robust positioning algorithms are essential. The averaging of acoustic PD signals (either with an electric or an electromagnetic UHF PD trigger signal) helps to enhance the acoustic sensitivity. The acoustic detection limit is hence lowered significantly and the determination of the arrival times is made possible for weaker PD. Supplementary steps, like automatic arrival time determination or additional wavelet-based de-noising further improve the overall location accuracy. Regarding the solution algorithms a new approach within the acoustic signal processing, which works with pseudo-times, allows for the use of robust direct GPS (Global Positioning System) solvers instead of the previously used iterative algorithms.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.