OptimAE PD successful tests with Delft University of Technology
OptimAE Partial Discharge (PD) monitoring system proved effectiveness in PD detection in high-voltage Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS)
Fiber optic is a powerful principle that drives our sensing systems allowing us to provide solutions for previously unresolved challenges. Partial discharge being a common problem in high-voltage environments, it is critically important to be detected and monitored to avoid costly unscheduled repairs of the asset. OptimAE PD is able to perform this task, as it is by default immune to electromagnetic interference thanks to the fiber optic sensors and at the same time it is able to perform highly sensitive measurements that is required to detect PD. Recent tests in collaboration with the TU Delft proved effectiveness of OptimAE PD in high-voltage gas insulated switchgear (GIS).
What was the test set up?To be as close to the real-life environment as possible, OptimAE PD was tested on an actual-size, SF6 AC GIS at the high voltage laboratory at the TU Delft. Partial discharges were created by placing a small particle of aluminum in the compartment of the GIS. OptimAE PD allows for an easy installation as fiber optic sensors can be placed in a non-invasive way on the surface of the equipment. Multiple sensors were placed on the surface of the GIS compartment applying different distances away from where the aluminum was inserted. All the sensors cables were combined on a single multicore lead-in cable that led to the OptimAE PD readout unit registering acoustic emission signals captured by the sensors. Although this lead-in cable was only 10 meters long, in principle such lead in cables can run for kilometers, without losing signals.
How did OptimAE PD perform in partial discharge detection? The main working principle of OptimAE PD is measuring the acoustic footprint of partial discharge happening in the asset. Thanks to the high sensitivity of our fiber optic sensors, all of the sensors that were placed on the GIS were able to detect the small PD signals regardless of their position. The sensors placed the closest to the source of partial discharge, were sensitive to PD signal with an impressive signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 35 dB, while the sensor that was placed about 2 meter away from PD source, had a detection SNR of 31 dB.
This experiment demonstrated how the novel approach in detecting partial discharge with fiber optics brings results regardless the high-voltage environment. Not only was PD detected by the sensors at a distance from the PD source, OptimAE PD also proved to still deliver usable SNR measurement results.
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