Comparison between optical and electrical methods for partial discharge measurement

Partial discharge detection using optical technique is studied with a view toward its application to explosion-proof motors and power transformers. For this purpose, an optical partial discharge measurement system has been established and some fundamental investigations such as attenuation of light intensity in different mediums and different types of discharges have been carried out. To validate the technique a comparison between the conventional electrical current pulse method and optical method is made. Finally, the amplitude of the optical signal from discharge and its relationship with discharge energy and the number of discharge is obtained.