Fiber Optic-Based Acoustic Emission Sensing Technology to Detect, Monitor, and Localize Partial Discharge in High Voltage Assets

This paper presents a review of reliable and sensitive methods for detecting partial discharges (PD) in high- voltage (HV) and extra HV (EHV) cable accessories and in power transformers, using fiber optic-based acoustic emission (FOAE) PD sensors. The system, also known as OptiFender (Optics11 B.V.) has two major applications in the field of HV and EHV assets' PD detection. In the first application, the system is deployed in substation environments, where several sensors are installed on the tank of power transformers and measuring PD simultaneously. The acquired signals are then processed to firstly detect the existence of PD through the evaluation of phase-resolved PD (PRPD) patterns, and secondly, to localize the PD source. In the second application, the system is deployed on HV and EHV cable systems. The sensors can detect the existence of PD on critical cable accessories, such as terminations and joints. Different case studies are presented in this paper, where the OptiFender system has been used both in the laboratory and in the field tests, for the detection and evaluation of PD. This paper illustrates that OptiFender would be an effective solution for PD detection and monitoring of HV and EHV assets.