Propagation Behavior of Partial Discharge Acoustic Signals by Using Finite Element Technique

Partial Discharge (PD) phenomenon is one of the major factors that can lead to insulation deterioration in power transformers. Therefore, the continuous monitoring of the insulation status and the detection of PD activities may assist to correctly evaluate the insulation and to take any required actions accordingly. This paper presents a Finite Element based model of the transformer oil tank. The model aims to understand the mechanism of the acoustic wave propagation due to PD activities inside a transformer tank. The behavior of the acoustic wave and its attenuation will be demonstrated. The oil temperature and availability of conducting barrier between the PD source and acoustic sensor on the acoustic wave magnitude has been thoroughly investigated. Moreover, experimental work using 100-450 kHz acoustic sensor has been used to confirm the validity of the proposed model.