Comparison of arrival time estimation methods for partial discharge pulses in power cables

Accurate location of partial discharges in power cable systems, based on arrival times, is critical for the identification and assessment of defects. This paper evaluates different time-of-arrival algorithms in order to determine which method yields most accurate location under different circumstances. These methods are based on threshold, Akaikepsilas information criterion, energy criterion, Gaborpsilas signal epoch and phase in frequency domain. Several criteria are defined by which the algorithms are evaluated. These criteria include the sensitivity to noise, pulse shape and effect of load impedance. The sensitivity of the methods upon varying these quantities is evaluated analytically and by means of simulations. From the results the energy criterion method and the phase method show the best performance.