Calibrating the UHF technique of partial discharge detection using a PD simulator

The paper describes a technique for simulating the presence of partial discharges in gas-insulated substation (GIS) equipment. The technique employs a pulse generator to inject current pulses through a suitable protrusion. The current pulses have similar temporal characteristics to those produced by an actual discharge event, with the added advantage that their magnitudes can be controlled accurately. Because the pulses are highly reproducible, they are ideally suited for investigating the UHF technique of partial discharge detection. The paper discusses the relationship between the magnitude of the UHF signal received by a coupler and the discharge magnitude. It also shows that the coupler signal is dependent on the protrusion length and on the spatial relationship between the protrusion and the coupler. The implications for practical discharge measurements in GIS also are discussed