RECENT DEVELOPMENTS FOR ON-LINE PARTIAL DISCHARGE DETECTION IN CABLES

B.T. Phung, Z. Liu, T.R. Blackburn and R.E. James

School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications University of New South Wales, Australia Abstract: The viability of on-line partial discharge (PD) monitoring on high-voltage power cables is investigated with particular emphasis on methods to overcome the interference problem. These include the use of a multi-sensor monitoring system, choice of detection frequency and signal discrimination based on the waveshapes. To reduce the noise level, measurements are carried out at high frequencies (above 2MHz). An added advantage is better pulse resolution that enables more accurate locating of the PD source. Comparison is made between two different types of sensors used for detecting the PD signals. up a wide range of signals such as radio, television and mobile phone transmissions. The detection sensitivity is thus limited by the interference. For example, the acceptable limit of PD level can be as low as few tens pC in the case of XLPE cables whereas the interference in a typical substation can easily exceed 1000pC. This paper is a continuation of work carried out by the authors [4,5] over the last few years with support from Integral Energy, a major power utility in New South Wales. The emphasis is on the application of various techniques to reject interference. Many on-site measurements in the substations were carried out on paper/oil and XLPE cables as well as testing in the laboratory. The cable voltage ranges vary from 11kV up to 132kV. A substantial database of useful measurement results was obtained and some of the more interesting results are discussed in this paper. 2. MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES

1. OVERVIEW High-voltage distribution and transmission cables are an important component of the power network. Following the deregulation of the power industry which imposes tighter economic constraints on new capital expenditure, the current capacity (or ampacity) in existing cables is usually stretched to satisfy increasing loading demands. The resulting higher working temperature together with long-term operation can lead to insulation deterioration in cables and their accessories (terminations, joints). Partial electrical discharges (PD) then occur. The impact of high-energy electrons from these discharges gradually cause further damage and eventual breakdown. In addition to the so-called intrinsic ageing mentioned above, PDs can also be caused by the presence of contaminants, defects, protrusions or voids in the insulation or at the interfaces. For this type of extrinsic ageing, the insulation degradation is initially localised but gradually propagates throughout the cable. Measurement of partial discharges is considered to be one of the most effective methods for monitoring the integrity of the cable insulation [1]. Over the years, a number of investigations have been carried out on the possibility of applying this technique for on-line condition monitoring without isolating the cables from service, e.g. [2-7]. However, the obstacle is the presence of substantial noise and interference on site. The main culprits are corona from sharp protrusions, switching transients and discharges from other HV equipment in the substation. Furthermore, cables are usually terminated to overhead transmission lines which in turn act as a huge receiving antenna, picking

The basic configuration of the monitoring system is shown in Fig.1. One PD sensor is attached to each cable. The output signal from the sensor is then fed via a long 50 coaxial cable to the electronic circuitry for further conditioning and processing. As will be discussed in Section 3, the PD signals are wideband and only their higher frequency components are monitored. A high-pass filter with a 2MHz cut-off frequency is used to reject interference from AM radio broadcasts (540kHz-1600kHz). Other high-pass filters with higher cutoff frequencies (50, 100, 150 and 200MHz) are also available for use to further reduce the low-frequency noise.

The raw signal from the sensor is small (mV) so amplification is necessary. The broadband amplifier provides adjustable voltage gain in 10dB steps. Up to 40dB gain, the bandwidth is from 0.1MHz to 1GHz. For higher gain (up to 60dB), the upper cutoff frequency of the amplifier reduces to 500MHz.
Cable sheath

HF electrical current pulses propagating through the earth terminal and thus can be detected with the clipon CT.

To filters, amplifiers, and CDA system HF-CT

3 phase system

Fig.1: Basic configuration of the monitoring system. There are a number of options to analyse the output signal from the amplifier. It can be fed to digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) for visual inspection. To analyse the PD pulse shape, a DSO with a sampling rate of at least 2Gs/s is required. To obtain the pulse distribution over just one 50Hz cycle (phase-resolved analysis), the memory needed is 40Mbytes. The DSO used in this work satisfies the sampling rate requirement but its memory is insufficient. To enable phase-resolved analysis, one solution is to limit the detection bandwidth to 2MHz-30MHz and use a pulse stretching circuit to process the output signal from the RF amplifier. It converts the fast PD pulse into a rectangular pulse. In other words, the magnitude of the original signal is retained but its waveshape is lost. The required sampling rate is much reduced and thus the DSO has enough memory to record the full ac cycle. The data is then transferred to the PC for further processing by software. This is the so-called CDA2 system as described in [8]. Alternatively, the pulse stretcher output signal can be fed to CDA3 data-acquisition system [8] without the need of the DSO. This Computerised Discharge Analyser provides a much faster data throughput for phase-resolved analysis. Two different types of sensors were used in the investigation. The high-frequency current transformer (HF-CT) sensor with a toroidal soft-ferrite core is shown in Fig.2. It is clamped around the conductor that connects the metallic fault screen of the cable to the main Earth. This earthing usually is installed at one end of the cable termination in the substation. To understand the detection method, one can simplify the whole cable as a single capacitor with the inner conductor as the HV terminal and the sheath as the earth terminal. Discharges in the cable will result in

Fig.2: High-frequency CT sensor. An example of HF-CT connection is shown in Fig.2. An outage is necessary to allow modification of the cable earthing termination. Such an outage is also useful for carrying out calibration measurements. The earthing conductor is cut into halves. The ends are stripped back, fitted with lugs and then bolted together. This completes the modification. Subsequent measurements can then be carried out while the cable is energised. The procedure to attach the sensor is as follows. Firstly, a short length of conductor with the sensor fitted on is connected in parallel with the earth conductor. When this is fully secured, the main connection is broken by removing the bolt. Thus at all times, continuity between the cable fault screen and Earth is maintained. To remove the sensor, the above procedure is simply reversed. The technique is safe as no direct connection with HV is required.

Fig.3: Clamping sensor. The second type of sensor used the clamping sensor is shown in Fig.3. It is a metallic ring clamped around the cable itself. It can be easily attached to the cable and no modification to the cable is required. Here, the principle of signal detection is

somewhat different. It relies on the electromagnetic pulse that travels along the screen [2,3]. Near the PD source, the discharge pulse is carried over a small part of the screen circumference. The pulse distribution becomes uniform along the screen circumference at some distance away from the source. This distance can be a few hundred metres for PD pulses in the VHF range. Over the section of the cable where the current distribution in the screen is unbalanced, a magnetic field outside the cable is produced and the clamping sensor acts as an inductive coupler. Further reduction of the low-frequency interference can be achieved by adding a coupling series capacitor to the clamping sensor [2]. This is done by breaking the continuity of the metal ring with a thin rubber washer. Fig.3 shows the capacitively coupled inductor sensor, the washer is where the two ends of the ring are joined. 3. CHARACTERISTICS OF PD SIGNALS The rise-times of the PD pulses vary in the order of nano-seconds to several tens of ns. The pulsewidths can extend from a few ns to some hundreds of ns. Thus, the bandwidth of the PD signal can extend up to 1 GHz. Conventional electrical PD detection is limited to the lower frequency range (<1MHz) where the noise level is relatively higher than that in the upper frequency band. Therefore, the high frequency detection technique used here (>2MHz) would give a better SNR.
signal attenuation ( using clamping sensor )
1 0.8

characteristic is better than that for the clamping sensor (Fig.5). Therefore, the HF-CT is better suited for monitoring long cables where PDs may occur far away from the sensor. On the other hand, the attenuation of HF components can be used to advantage in monitoring cable accessories with the clamping sensor.
signal attenuation of 11 kV XLPE cable ( using clamping sensor and HFCT )
1 0.8

( ratio )

0.6 0.4 0.2 0 1 10

clamping

HFCT

100

1000

( metres )

Fig.5: Clamping sensor vs HF-CT. One possible method for interference rejection is by examining the characteristics of the received signals. It is expected that discharges would produce signals that have different waveshapes from those associated with other types of disturbances. To this end, a test circuit was set up in the laboratory. As shown in Fig.6, the same PD detection circuit as used for on-line monitoring consists of the HF-CT, high-pass filter, amplifier and digital storage oscilloscope.

( ratio )

0.6 0.4 0.2 0 1

paper

XLPE

10 ( metres )

100

Fig.6: Test circuit setup in the laboratory. To obtain the discharge magnitude in pC as specified in the IEC-60270 or AS1018 Standards, the conventional PD measurement circuit was also included where the signal was picked up through a HV coupling capacitor Cb. Note that the conventional PD detector has a detection bandwidth of 10kHz-300kHz. Different types of faults were artificially created in the cable samples and a collection of PD characteristics in the form of time-domain waveforms and frequency spectra was obtained. In Fig.7 are shown some of the typical examples: (a) external corona, (b) external

Fig.4: Attenuation in paper and XLPE cables. Frequency response measurement of the HF-CT sensor shows an upper limit of ~300MHz. The upper cut-off of the clamping sensor is much higher, at least >500MHz. However, the high frequencies in both paper/oil and extruded cables are quickly attenuated. This is shown in Fig.4 for the clamping sensor. The attenuation is much higher in paper/oil cable. It should be noted that the allowable PD level in paper cables is also much higher. Also, since the HF-CT can measure the lower frequency components, its signal attenuation

surface discharges, (c) discharges in cavity in cable and (d) discharges at the cable termination.

the cables. To demonstrate the effect, a detachable discharge source was attached to a live 66kV Yellowphase bus bar. Fig.9 shows the disturbances were picked up by the other two phases. Note the longer time-base for displaying the pulses in relation to the 50Hz cycle and the relative magnitudes of the signals.

(a)

(b)

(a)
(c)

(d) 0.2s/hor. div 50.0mV/vert.div 10MHz/hor. div 100mV/vert. div

Fig.7: Typical PD signal characteristics. There are numerous factors that can influence the signal characteristics. For example even for a simple void defect, the PD signal is dependent on the void shape, its size, electrical stress, dielectric composition, ageing stage, etc. Also if the PD source is remote, the received signal will be distorted since the attenuation varies with frequency. Therefore, it would be practically very difficult to identify the type of defects based on the signal waveshapes. This type of pattern recognition is mainly helpful in discriminating against the interference. Even in this case, it will fail if the interference is a real external PD signal from other connecting HV components. 4. ON-SITE MEASUREMENT RESULTS

(b) Fig.8: Waveshape and spectrum of signal recorded (a) on-site and (b) in laboratory. Simultaneous recording of signals from sensors attached to the three phases can facilitate the recognition of external interferences. Fig.10 is an example of different signal patterns recorded during a site visit. In Fig.10(a), the signals occur on all three channels exactly at the same time. Furthermore, the waveshapes and their relative magnitudes are very similar. Thus, it can be reasonably concluded that this is an external radiative interference, equally picked up by the three cables. Fig.10(b) also corresponds to another interference. Note the difference in the waveforms between these two interference signals and also against those shown in Fig.7.

Interference rejection based on signal waveshapes: To a certain extent, discharge recognition can be achieved by matching signals recorded on-line with those stored in the database. An example is shown in Fig.8. The on-line signal corresponds to surface discharges on the HV bushing at the sealing end of a 132kV XLPE cable. The location of the discharge source was confirmed using an ultrasonic detector. Rejection of radiative interferences: Radiative interferences can be picked up by the cable sensors, either directly through the air or indirectly via the overhead transmission lines or busbars attached to Red

20mV 5ms 20mV 5ms

Yellow

Blue

20mV 5ms

0.5V 50Hz 5ms Fig.9: On-line injection of PD source on Y Phase.

magnitudes (coupling factor) is dependent on the particular physical setting of the site. Rejection using phase-position windowing: Another method based on 'phase position windowing' can be included to improve the interference rejection. Its basis is that PDs normally occur on certain parts of the 50Hz ac cycle (see Fig.9) and there is a 120o shift between the three phase supplies. Therefore any signals outside the normal windows must be either noise or pick-ups from the other phases and thus should be rejected. Rejection of external discharges from same phase: (b) Rejection of external PDs originating from the same phase is a difficult problem. One possible solution is the use of a pair of clamping sensors - positioned near the cable termination - to detect the direction of signal propagation. This, however, will not be able to distinguish between external PDs and PDs at the termination. To detect PDs at the terminations or joints, one can increase the lower cut-off frequency of the clamping sensor so that it is responsive to local signals. Location of discharge sources A case study:
Sensor 1 Black Sensor 2 Blue Joint

(a)

(c)

(d) Fig.10: Rejection of external interference. Fig.10(c) shows a pulse detected by the Yellow-phase sensor (top trace) and at that instant nothing occurs on the other two sensors. This suggests an internal discharge in the Yellow-phase cable. Fig.10(d) is another example of an internal discharge pulse on the Blue-phase cable (middle trace). Thus, a possible solution for interference rejection is the use of a multi-channel monitoring system that can record simultaneously signals from the three phases. Rejection is achieved by comparison of the recorded signals. A pulse is a valid internal PD if it occurs on one channel only. However, if the cable discharges near the termination, the signal can be picked up by other channels but the coupling is somewhat reduced. In other words, the pulse on the source cable is much larger than the pick-up signals on the neighbouring cables. Thus the largest signal should be kept and the others rejected. The criterion for comparison of the

Sensor 3 Red

Fig.11: Location of the three clamping sensors. In this case study, the subject is a three-core XLPE 11kV cable which is approximately 1km long and has a joint in the middle. Separate source tests gave an unacceptable high reading of 3000-8000pC at 2Uo (12.7kV). In order to determine whether the cable joint is sound, three capacitively coupled clamping sensors were positioned near the joint as shown in Fig.11. Sensors 1 and 2 are 2.05m and 0.65m, respectively, to the left of the joint whereas sensor 3 is 2.15m to the right. The signals recorded simultaneously from each sensor pair are shown in Fig.12. The sampling rate of the DSO was set at 10Gs/s. It can be seen that the PD pulsewidths are <5ns and the clamping sensors are able to capture these very fast PD signals. The time

delay between each pair of sensor signals can be measured with accuracy in the order of 1ns. Based on the propagation velocity of 0.2m/ns, the PD location can be resolved to within 20cm.

5. CONCLUSIONS The following are main points covered in the paper:

(a)

The PD signatures (time-domain waveforms and spectra) of different types of defects on cable samples were obtained from laboratory tests. Such a database can facilitate PD recognition. Examples of interference and PD waveforms as recorded on-site at a number of substations were presented. A case of matching between laboratory and on-line signal waveforms was given. Comparisons were made between attenuation characteristics of paper and XLPE cables and also between the clamping sensor and the HF-CT. The clamping sensor enables measurement at even higher frequencies and thus it gives a much better time resolution for discharge location. This was demonstrated with a case study where a fault was successfully located at the joint of an 11kV cable.

(b)

6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The continued supports from Integral Energy, in particular P. Taylor and J. Hickey, are gratefully acknowledged. 7. REFERENCES

(c)

Fig.12: Time delay between sensor signals. Fig.12(a) indicates that the Blue sensor receives the signal 10.3ns before the Red sensor. Thus the PD source is closer to the Blue sensor. Also, the source must be in between the Blue and Red sensors because otherwise the delay should be 14ns which is the time for the signal to travel from the Blue to the Red sensor. Hence the solution narrows down to one point which is 18cm to the left of the centre of the joint. Using similar arguments, Fig.12(b) simply confirms that the source is to the right of both the Black and Blue sensors. Fig.12(c) indicates the source is 15cm to the left of the joint centre which agrees well with the result from Fig.12(a). Note that the joint itself is at least 60cm long and thus this location of the PD source is still part of the joint. The joint was subsequently replaced with a short length of spare cable and two joints. The cable passed the PD test carried out by the utility after the repair. The removed faulty joint was opened up later for visual examination and the fault was confirmed. It happened when the semicon layer was stripped back and accidental overcutting had caused damage to the insulation underneath.

[1] J.C. Chan, P. Duffy, L.J. Hiivala and J. Wasik, "Partial discharge - Part VIII: PD testing of solid dielectric cable", IEEE Elec. Insul. Mag., 7, 1991, pp.9-20. [2] P.A.A.F. Wouters, van der Laan P.C.T., Hetzel E. and Steennis E.F., "New on-line PD measurement technique for polymer insulated cables and accessories", Proc. 8th ISH, Paper 63.08, 1993. [3] N.H. Ahmed and N.N. Srinivas, On-line partial discharge detection in cables, IEEE-DEI Trans., Vol.5, No.2, Apr.1998, pp.181-188. [4] B.T. Phung, Z. Liu, T.R. Blackburn and R.E. James, On-line PD measurement on high voltage power cables, 11th Int. Symp. On High-Voltage Engineering (ISH), London, Aug.23-27, 1999. [5] Z. Liu, B.T. Phung, T.R. Blackburn and R.E. James, "The propagation of partial discharge pulses in a HV cable", Proc. AUPEC'99, Northern Territory University, Sep.26-29, 1999, pp.287-292. [6] E.F. Steennis et al, Learning from high-voltage XLPE cable system testing and monitoring, CIGRE Paper 21-203, 2000. [7] W. Wei, Z. Sen, C. Bin and L.En-heng, The study of on-line PD detector in power cable, Proc. 6th ICPADM, Jun.21-26, 2000, pp.177-180. [8] B.T. Phung, "Computer-based partial discharge detection and characterisation", PhD thesis, University of NSW, 1997.