Monitoring of Switchgear and Cables

Partial discharge (PD) technology has been applied to medium voltage rotating machines for many years. This technology can now be applied to support online diagnostics of medium voltage switchgear assemblies.

The insulation systems for motor and generators generally have a very high mica content, which will limit the damage partial discharges will cause to the insulation structure. In switchgear, the typical insulation systems can deteriorate quite quickly, even with very low levels of PD.

The majority of defects found on extruded cable insulations systems will be found in the accessories, such as terminations and splices. It is rare one will find a defect within the cable insulation itself.

Dynamic Ratings has developed a PD monitoring system that can have up to 90 channels, which makes it a cost effective solution for monitoring large line-ups of switchgear and cable systems.