A noninvasive diagnostic instrument for power circuit breakers

Noninvasive diagnostics, involving short-time spectra, short-time energy, and automatic timing techniques, have been applied to assess the mechanical condition of oil and puffer circuit breakers and to determine the timing of events occurring during operation. A portable instrument that employs these techniques has been developed and tested at various utilities. The capabilities of this instrument and the results of the field trials are presented.<
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