12.

10 OFF-LINE PARTIAL DISCHARGE TEST

The off-line partial discharge test directly measures the pulse currents resulting from PD within
a winding energized at rated line-to-ground voltage. Thus, any failure process that creates PD
as a symptom can be detected with this method. The test is mainly relevant for form-wound
stator windings rated at 2300 V and above. However, a variation of the test is also relevant for
random-wound stators intended for use on PWM-type inverter-fed drives.

12.10.1 Purpose and Theory

Many of the stator winding failure processes described in Chapter 8 had PD as a direct cause
or a symptom of the process. When a partial discharge pulse occurs, there is a very fast flow of
electrons from one side of the gas filled void to the other side. Since the electrons are moving
close to the speed of light across a small distance, the pulse has a very short duration,
typically a few nanoseconds [12.18]. Since the electrons carry a charge, each individual
discharge creates a current pulse (i = dq/dt). In addition to the electron current flow, there
willbe a flow of positive ions (created when the electrons are ionized from the gas molecules)
in the opposite direction. However, the ions are much more massive than the electrons and,
consequently, move much slower. Since the transition time of the ions across the gas gap is
relativity long, the magnitude of the current pulse due to ions is very small and usually
neglected.

Each PD pulse current originates in a specific part of a winding. The current will travel along
the coil conductors, and since the surge impedance of a coil in a slot is approximately 30
ohms, a voltage pulse will also be created, according to Ohm’s law. The current and voltage
pulse flow away from the PD site, and some portion of the pulse current and voltage will travel
to the stator winding terminals. A Fourier transform of a current pulse generates frequencies
up to several hundred megahertz [12.18]. Any device sensitive to high frequencies can detect
the PD pulse currents. In the off-line PD test, the most common means of detecting the PD
currents is to use a high-voltage capacitor connected to the stator terminal. Typical
capacitances are 80 pF to 1000 pF. The capacitor is a very high impedance to the high AC
voltage (needed to energize the winding sufficiently to create the PD in any voids that may be
present), while being a very low impedance to the high-frequency PD pulse currents. The
output of the high-voltage capacitor drives a resistive or inductive–capacitive load (Figure
12.2). The PD pulse current that passes through the capacitor will create a voltage pulse
across the resistor or inductive–capacitive network, which can be displayed on an oscilloscope,
frequency spectrum analyzer, or other display device. Older oscilloscopes had trouble
displaying the very short duration PD pulses on the screen. Thus, some types of detectors use
an inductive–capacitive load since the PD current will then create an oscillating pulse at lower
frequency, which can be easily viewed on oscilloscopes. The bandwidth of the detector is the
frequency range of the high-voltage-detection capacitor in combination with the resistive or
inductive–capacitive network load. Early detectors were sensitive to the 10 kHz, 100 kHz, or 1
MHz ranges. Modern detectors can be sensitive up to the several hundred megahertz range
[12.18]. Every PD will create its own pulse. Some PD pulses are larger than others. As
described in [12.19], in general, the magnitude of a particular PD pulse is proportional to the
size of the void in which the PD occurred. Consequently, the bigger the detected PD pulse, the
larger is the defect that caused the discharge. In contrast, smaller defects tend to produce
smaller PD pulses. The attraction of the PD test is that one concentrates on the larger pulses
and ignores the smaller pulses. In contrast to the capacitance or power factor tip-up tests,
which are a measure of the total PD activity (or the total void content), the PD test enables the
measurement of the biggest defects. Since failure is likely to originate at the biggest defects
and not at the smaller defects, the PD test can indicate the condition of the winding at its most
deteriorated portion.
12.10.2 Test Method
12.10.2 Test Method

Like the tip-up tests in Sections 12.6 and 12.9, the off-line PD test requires a power supply to
energize the winding to at least rated phase-to-ground voltage. Thus, for large generator
stators, a conventional or resonant transformer rated at 20 to 40 kVA may be needed. In
addition, a low-noise 0.1 Hz (VLF) power supply could also be used (see Section 12.4.2). It is
best to perform the PD test at the machine terminals, energizing one phase at a time, with the
other two phases grounded. PD tests can be measured from the switchgear, but it is then
important to measure the PD in a frequency range less than about 1 MHz. As discussed in
Section 13.4, power cables tend to strongly attenuate the higher frequency components of the
PD pulses as they travel from the stator winding to the detector at switchgear. Thus,
unrealistically low PD signals will be measured at the switchgear if the detector primarily
operates
at frequencies greater than 1 MHz.

In the off-line PD test, it is common to gradually raise the applied voltage while monitoring the
PD pulses on an oscilloscope screen. The voltage at which the PD is first detected is called the
discharge inception voltage (DIV). The voltage then is raised to normal line-toground operating
voltage. The winding should remain energized for 10 to 15 minutes at this voltage, and then
the PD recorded (Figure 12.3), including the peak magnitude of the PD pulses (Qm). The
“soak” time is needed since the PD tends to be higher in the first few minutes after the voltage
is applied. Space charge effects cause this, together with the build-up of gas pressure in the
void due to deterioration caused by the PD. The voltage is then gradually lowered and the
voltage at which the PD is no longer discernable is measured. This is the discharge extinction
voltage (DEV). The DEV is usually lower than the DIV, and it is desirable
to have the DIV and DEV as high as possible.

For machines rated at 6 kV or more, the maximum test voltage is normally the rated line-to-
ground voltage. As will be discussed in Section 13.4, a test at this voltage will usually detect
deterioration years before an in-service failure is likely. For machines rated at 2300–4100 V, a
test at rated voltage may not produce significant PD, even in severely deteriorated stator
insulation. This is because there may be insufficient electric stress within the defects to
achieve the 3 kV/mm needed in atmospheric air to cause PD. Some users then per form the
test at the rated line-to-line voltage; i.e., a 4 kV motor would have 4 kV applied between the
copper and the ground. This is a small hipot test, and the stator owner should be aware that
such an overvoltage may lead to failure.
Conventional PD analyzers cannot be used with IFDs or surge testers (Section 12.12). The
risetimes produced by such voltage sources can be as short as 50 ns, which is only ten times
longer than the PD pulses. These surges generate frequencies up to 5 MHz. At this frequency,
the high-voltage capacitor in Figure 12.2 will have low impedance, resulting in a high-voltage
surge being applied to the oscilloscope or other recording device. This may destroy the input.
Specialized sensors have been developed that can extract the PD from the 1000 times higher
voltage surge [12.20].