On-line non intrusive PDs' measurements on aeronautical systems

In aeronautics, the concept of the “more electrical aircraft” emerged during the recent years thanks to the evolution of power electronics, the increase of power density, which has considerably spread the use of power converters for Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) applications. In parallel, due to the power demand, increasing the voltage of the on-board network has been mandatory. Last but not least, some of these equipments work in depressurized areas of the aircraft. All these conditions put together made possible the existence of Partial Discharges (PD) in systems not designed to endure them. One of the main questions to address is the development of an approach for PD detection in machines supposed to be PD free. Their detection under PWM is therefore a key issue in this new field of applications. Recent advances made in the related different topics i.e on line PD detection under PWM voltage on real industrial test benches will be presented and discussed regarding their consequences.