Numerical Simulation of Partial Discharge Acoustic signals

The work presented here is the simulation study of partial discharge (PD) acoustic emission (AE) signal propagation in a transformer oil tank. Partial differential equations (PDE) describing the AE wave have been developed and solved using finite element method (FEM). The study described in this paper helps to investigate the propagation behaviour and signal attenuation of the AE waves in transformer oil at different temperatures. Reflection and refraction of the waves are simulated and displayed. This is an important result in relation to the interpretation and understanding of practically measured PD signals emitted in a model tank. More attenuation can be observed as we move further from the source. It has been shown that attenuation of acoustic signal depends upon the location of the discharge and the temperature of the medium.