On-line monitoring of power generating systems

The tendency of any power generating utility is to achieve reliable and trouble free power generation in their facilities. Systems for on-line quality and reliability assessment of high voltage power equipment have became very popular. By having access to power equipment while in normal operation, plant engineers have been able to avoid catastrophic in-service failures, costly forced outages of power generators and associated equipment, as well as significantly prolong the life of the equipment. By early detection of problems on power systems, maintenance can be scheduled promptly and only when necessary. Planning of work and resources can be done well in advance, which will reduce the cost of such intervention. Also by taking the test before and after repair it is easy to control the effectiveness of repair. These on-line systems, being nondestructive, reliable, quick and easy to use, in fact become a kind of standard in many power utilities worldwide. A major problem in HV power equipment is electrical insulation. One of the on-line tests for power equipment integrity is the PD (partial discharge) test for electrical insulation. The PD test, besides testing power generators and motors is also applicable for factory screening of stator bars, testing HV power cables and power transformers