Iterative method for partial discharges location in power transformers

In this paper an efficient and fast iterative method has been successfully used for detection and localization of partial discharges in a power transformer. It is mainly based on finite elements method solving in an isotropic medium. Current methods for localizing mechanical waves emitted by partial discharges are subject to the use of at least three acoustic sensors. A new numerical localization method based on the Newton-Raphson iterative method is presented. It reduces the number of sensors to only two. The propagation of an acoustic wave (AW), initiated by a Gaussian-type partial discharge inside a power transformer is analyzed. The wave equation was solved numerically by finite element using Comsol Multiphysics software. Two sensors made possible to follow the spatio-temporal distribution of the acoustic pressure of five partial discharges distributed in different positions of the transformer. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated through a comparison with a direct resolution method.

Automated summary

In this paper, a new method for detection and localization of partial discharges in a power transformer is proposed. By using only two acoustic sensors, the method achieves efficient and accurate detection and localization. The spatio-temporal distribution of acoustic pressure is obtained through finite element method and an iterative approach. The method's performance is compared with a direct resolution method.