Preventive maintenance testing of shielded power cable systems

Power cable systems can play a critical role with respect to the reliability of industrial plants. This paper reports on a preventive maintenance tool for shielded power cable systems based on the location of partial discharges. It describes the principles of the technology and provides data covering tests conducted on over 6000 km of medium-voltage cables serving both electric utilities and industrial customers. It discusses the technical and economic advantages, as well as some of the limitations of the diagnostic test method.