Recognition of discharge patterns during ageing

A conventional discharge detection with statistical processing of discharge signals was used to analyze discharge distributions during long-term ageing of a 23 kV epoxy insulator and a 12 kV current transformer. Significant changes of the discharge distributions were observed during these tests. Using cluster analysis techniques, different groups of discharge patterns obtained during ageing were discriminated and a data base of the patterns was created. The data base was then used for the recognition of discharges. The results indicate that satisfactory recognition took place. Selected recognition tools showed a promising potential for industrial application, such as the periodic testing of high voltage (HV) components