A Novel PD Detection Technique for Use in GIS Based on a Combination of UHF and Optical Sensors

Detecting partial discharge (PD) in gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) is an effective way to diagnose the insulation state of GIS. When PD occurs in GIS, optical and electromagnetic signals will be emitted from the discharge source. PD can be detected by analyzing these signals. At present, the ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) method is one of the most popular methods for detecting the PD in GIS. However, the optical method has not been in the field due to the problem of mounting optical sensor into GIS, even though it has higher sensitivity and better anti-interference performance. To settle this problem, a novel GIS PD detection sensor integrated with the optical fiber and UHF method is developed in this paper, which can fully utilize the advantages both of UHF and optical methods. The simulation results indicate that the integrated sensor can be mounted into GIS on the premise of not affecting the electric field distribution in GIS. In addition, the integrated sensor has a good UHF performance. The PD signals of typical defects at several locations were measured in a physical GIS using the integrated sensor. The results show that the integrated sensor can detect the optical and UHF signals induced by PD at the same time. The optical method has higher sensitivity than the UHF method for the protrusion defect. The amplitude and the number of the optical signals induced by PD clearly decrease with the increase in the detection distance. The studies in this paper are helpful to improve the accuracy and sensitivity of PD detection in GIS on site.