Selective PD Measurements on DC Cable Joints Using a HFCT-Balanced Circuit Arrangement

Abstract

Due to the many advantages of medium-voltage (MV) and high-voltage (HV) DC cable transmission lines and the possibility of converting AC transmission to DC transmission, this technology is becoming increasingly relevant. One of the most important diagnosis tools used to investigate the condition of the insulation of highvoltage cables is to apply partial discharge (PD) measurements. Cable joints and terminations are of particular importance, as these represent weak spots due to human interaction. Especially under DC voltage, it is of crucial importance to determine whether the detected PD pulses occur inside or outside the cable accessories.
For this purpose, a PD test method for cable joints using two high-frequency current transformers (HFCT) was optimized with modern electronic devices, including an instrumentation amplifier and a modern PD measuring instrument. Two HFCT with opposite winding directions were placed on the outer semi-conductive layer on both sides of a cable joint. The signals were fed into an instrumentation amplifier to separate the PD pulses originating from inside and outside the cable joint. This method automatically suppresses PD pulses occurring outside the cable joint and was tested on a 12/20 kV AC cable joint under DC voltage and with thermal and electrical stress.