A comparison of AC and DC partial discharge activity in polymeric cable insulation

The majority of PD monitoring is performed on cables operating under AC conditions, however, the increasing use of high voltage DC links, for subsea, or long land-based connections provides motivation for the increased use of PD monitoring on cables operating under HVDC. However, despite the increased intensity of research into PD in HVDC cables, there are significant knowledge gaps, preventing the practical application of PD monitoring techniques to HVDC cables. This paper seeks to partially address these gaps in knowledge, by presenting results obtained from PD measurements on artificial voids created in polymeric cable insulation under both AC and DC conditions. This work was presented at the 21st IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference.