Partial discharge on-line monitoring in switchgears and bus ducts

The paper describes the positive practical experience in PD measurements in switchgears and bus ducts using a portable computerized partial discharge analyzer UPDA. On-line PD technology proved to be a fast, convenient and cost effective non-invasive tool in revealing numerous places of worsened insulation and other defects (bad contacts, loose insulators, insufficient distances between HV bus and secondary wiring, etc.) in switchgears and bus ducts of medium voltages. This technology was successfully applied to numerous objects in electric utilities, industrial customers and nuclear power plants.