Location of partial discharges in power transformers using computer-aided acoustic techniques

In this paper, the recent development of a computer-aided partial discharge (PD) acoustic location system is briefly introduced. The paper presents the characteristics of this system with emphasis on the acoustic locating technique and interference countermeasures. Signal recognition, ascertainment of time delay and the location algorithms are discussed. A novel method for identifying multiple PD sources is proposed. By using fuzzy sets and fuzzy subsets as well as their relation equation, one can classify and identify the multiple PD sources. On-site testing results are also included in the paper. The results confirm that the acoustic emission techniques for partial discharge location are feasible and effective.