Abstract :
Summary form only given, as follows. Most of the papers that appear in this issue, were presented at the 1990 Volta Colloquium on Partial Discharge Measurements. The Colloquium was held from 4-6 September 1990 at the Villa Olmo in Como, Italy, under the General Chairmanship of Prof. A. Brandolini with Dr. A. Gandelli as Secretary. The theme of the Colloquium centered on the methods for partial discharge measurement and their traceability; the subject matter was dealt with over a total of five sessions which were chaired by one of us (R. Bartnikas), acting as Technical Chairman. The Colloquium was hosted by the Politecnico di Milano and the Milan Section of the AEI, with forty-two specialists in the discharge field from Europe, Africa and North America in attendance. Twenty-one formal presentations were made and numerous informal meetings were held in the Villa Olmo, a very elegant former ducal palace that is presently used by the Politecnico di Milano as a center for scientific gatherings. The intent of the Colloquium was to provide a forum for a complete and meaningful exchange of experiences and ideas amongs specialists in the field. The conclusions drawn from the various presentations with the associated discussions and deliberations included a general consensus on the inadequacy of the measuring techniques as well as a lack of understanding of the processes governing the partial discharge behavior. In this Special ?????????Volta????????? issue of the Transactions, extended versions of some of the presentations rendered at the Colloquium are presented to the interested reader. Included also is one additional paper that has not been presented at the Colloquium, but of which the content is pertinent to the subject matter of interest. The guest editors are greatly indebted to Prof. A. Brandolini, who conceived and organized the Volta Colloquium with the able assistance of Dr. A. Gandelli. The meeting facilities at the Villa Olmo, provided by the Politecnico di Mila- o, were most conducive to creating a congenial atmosphere for the presentation of papers and the ensuing discussions amongs the participants. Special thanks are due to the authors for their cooperation in preparing the manuscripts and the referees who participated in the review of the papers prior to their publication in this ?????????Volta????????? issue. They also wish to express their gratitude to Dr. A. van Roggen, Editor-in-Chief, for his assistance in the publication process.
