Detection of Partial Discharge in A 33kv XLPE Underground Cable and the Effects on its Insulation

Abstract

High voltage equipment are normally made of different types of insulation. When these equipment usually work for a long period of time under high voltage, the insulation undergo several kinds of effects. One of them is the partial discharge effect. Underground cable is one of the high voltage equipment which also undergoes partial discharge at cable joint mostly. This paper is mainly subjected to partial discharge detection and measurement in a high voltage cable and electrical treeing phenomena in solid insulation. Partial discharge(PD) is a localized electrical discharge that only partially bridges within the insulation between the electrodes. PD causes progressive deterioration of insulating materials, ultimately leading to electrical breakdown. The effects of PD within high voltage cables and equipment can be very serious, ultimately leading to complete failure. Because of the above reason PD detection and measurement is necessary for prediction of insulation life for HV power equipment. The cumulative effect of partial discharges within solid dielectrics is the formation of numerous, branching partially conducting discharge channels, a process called treeing. Repetitive discharge events cause irreversible mechanical and chemical deterioration of the insulating material. In order to avoid these effects it is important to detect the PD.