Development of a novel low cost UHF probe for radiometric partial discharge detection

To ensure safe operation and to prevent costly unplanned system outages, live electrical networks are routinely monitored by the network operators. Periodic surveys to collect chemical, thermal or visual evidence of possible equipment degradations are common in practice. Insulation defects in high voltage equipment initiate partial discharges resulting in radio frequency emissions. Locations of defects developing in insulation can be estimated by identifying the source of this radiation. This paper presents a low cost partial discharge detection probe that can be used to identify insulation faults. The developed probe detects partial discharge events resulting in radiation magnitudes above -20 dBm using a circularly polarized antenna. The probe could be integrated into routing monitoring programs to identify possible insulation defects in their infancy.