Measurement of Partial Discharges in High Voltage Equipment

In this thesis I investigate the possibility of electrically detecting partial discharges in high voltage equipment. Partial discharges are small events that occur in insulation in the presence of high electric field intensity and manifest themselves as pulses of current superimposed on the high voltage lines. They carry important information about the condition and operation of such equipment. Monitoring their characteristic features makes it possible to extract this information. I work on the theoretical design of a system which in response to a current pulse produces a waveform convenient to digitize. In addition I build a physical system based on this model and measure its characteristics. The underlying idea behind this system is adapted from a nuclear physics problem of counting high-energy particles. Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Chathan M. Cooke Title: Principal Research Engineer, Lecturer EECS