Methodology for Designing a System of Nondestructive Testing of the Technical Condition of Substation Equipment Insulation Based on the Solution of the Problem of Localizing the Discharge Sources

Methodology for designing the system of nondestructive testing of the technical condition of substation equipment insulation is considered. The System structure has been developed, consisting of receiver modules, a weather station, a video surveillance device, a phase sensor of the nets voltage, and a data collection and processing unit. Mathematical model of localization of a discharge source geometrically located in the plane of three sensors and of this in three-dimensional space using data received by four sensors are considered. Search of rational location of these four sensors on a receiving module is performed by the criterion of minimum relative methodical error of localization of a discharge source. The ways of rational placement of receiving modules of the System on the territory of the substation are discussed. As a result of the research, the conclusion was obtained that in order to obtain more accurate data on the location of partial discharge sources, the receiver sensors cannot lie on the same straight line or circle and that they should be positioned symmetrically relative to the selected center line normal to the plane of the board on which they are fixed.