A Novel Method for the Localization of Partial Discharge in Power Cables Based on Time Reversal Technique

In the last five decades, a significant effort has been directed to the accurate localization of partial discharge (PD) in power cables, based on the traveling wave measurements. In this paper, a novel and effective method for PD localization, which is based on a totally different technique called time-reversal (TR) method, is presented. This method doesn't need to estimate the time difference of arrival of a PD pulse and its reflection at the far end of the cable. And it takes the frequency-dependent characteristic of phase velocity into account. Firstly, the applicability of the TR technique to localize PD source is discussed. And to validate the feasibility of the new method, the computer simulation of this method has been carried out. Under different cable lengths, signal-noise ratio, quantification error and sampling rates, the location accuracy of the proposed method is discussed. Afterward, the experimental validation of the proposed method is presented. Before experimental test, a 10kV XLPE cable of 498 meters with an artificial defect is used as a test object. During PD detection, two types of PD signals are tested and the PD source is localized by different detection methods. After comparison with other PD localization methods, it is found that the TR technique shows great value and superiority for the localization of PD source in power cable in some ways.