Fault localization on power cables using time delay estimation of partial discharge signals

Abstract

Precise localization of partial discharge (PD) sources on power cables is vital to prevent power line failures that can lead to significant economic losses for electrical suppliers. This study proposes four methods to estimate the time delay of PD signals under electromagnetic interference, including white Gaussian noise (WGN) and discrete sinusoidal interference (DSI), using denoised PD signals with signal-to-noise ratios ranging from 10.6 to -7.02 dB. The maximum peak detection (MPD) and cross-correlation (CC) approaches, as well as two new techniques, interpolation cross-correlation (ICC) and envelope cross-correlation (ECC), are evaluated for their effectiveness in PD source localization. The researchers employ the time difference of arrival (TDoA) algorithm to compute PD location using the double-end PD location algorithm, where the PD location precision serves as an indicator of the accuracy of the time delay estimation methods. The study concludes that CC and ICC are the most suitable methods for estimating the time delay of PD signals in the PD location algorithm, as they exhibit the lowest error rates. These results suggest that CC and ICC can be used effectively for precise PD source localization under electromagnetic interference on power cables.