Partial discharge testing on rotating machines

Partial Discharge (PD) measurement is nowadays a worldwide accepted method for the condition-based assessment of stator insulation in rotating machines. It provides you with a non-destructive and non-invasive method of detecting damaging defects in stator insulation so that you can make timely maintenance and repairs to prevent failure.

Our paper of the month describes the advantages of using a fully digital PD measuring system for this assessment of stator insulation condition. Such a system includes advanced hardware and software capabilities for improved insulation diagnosis by means of PD analysis.

However, the sensitivity of the PD measurements can be strongly limited by a high noise level. This article describes how this is alleviated with state-of-the-art features based on synchronous multi-channel and multi-frequency techniques for signal separation of noise and PD defects.

Examples of data evaluation are also described, including the use of automated PD pattern recognition.

Enjoy reading and watch out for our paper of the month regularly!