Cable System Setup for PD Measuring Systems Tests and Analysts Training

Usually, developers of partial discharge (PD) measuring systems have difficulties to test their new functionalities or the improvements made in the existing ones. Furthermore, when a new PD measuring system is acquired by an electrical company, the subsequent training period for qualified analysts may be particularly complicated. This is because on many occasions, demanding and costly laboratory assemblies or even real installations already in operation are required for the measurements of representative PD activity and background noise. Furthermore, when using laboratory or real installations, the performance of repetitive tests anywhere for comparison purposes is not possible, due to logistics problems and to the stochastic phenomena of the PD generated. In this paper, a solution to solve these difficulties is presented. This solution is based on the development of a novel scale test setup designed to simulate a three-phase cable system. PD activity and noise conditions are simulated in the test setup injecting, in a controlled way, signals using an analog generator. The setup is useful both, for testing PD measuring systems´ functionalities and for training analysts.