Research Projects

Partial discharge (PD) is a common issue in electrical utilities, leading to equipment failure. Monitoring PD activity in substations can provide early warnings and preventive action. A digital system has been developed to detect PD sources through its time and frequency domain signature. This non-contact method can monitor insulations of energized electrical apparatus in real-time and localize fault locations. A partial discharge monitoring system has been developed for air-insulated substations using multiple non-contact ultra-high-frequency UHF sensors. The proposed system aims to provide trend analysis and early warnings of failure using data from field-deployed systems and data repositories. The project aims to reduce costs, increase adoption, and save outflow of valuable foreign exchange. The project will involve collaboration among utilities, academic institutions, and Pvt. Industry for final commercialization. M/S Navitus Controls will actively participate in the research and development phases, contributing their knowledge on online PD monitoring. The study focuses on developing a monitoring device that meets IEC 62478 standards and CIRGRE recommendations. The device has a frequency band of 50-3000 MHz, sensitivity of -90 dBm, and can detect partial discharges up to 50m and 30m from the sensors' position. The detection error limit is expected to be less than 10. The research is supported by several publications, including an intensity-modulated fiber bragg grating sensor for detecting partial discharges in high-voltage apparatuses, an unsupervised Gaussian mixer model for detecting and localizing partial discharge sources using RF sensors, and a UHF sensor-based partial discharge monitoring system for air-insulated electrical substations.