Wireless Sensor Network for Radiometric Detection and Assessment of Partial Discharge in HV Equipment

Monitoring of partial discharge (PD) activity
within high voltage electrical environments is frequently used for the assessment of insulation condition. Traditional measurement techniques employ technologies that require either offline installation or high power
consumption and cost. A wireless sensor network is proposed that utilizes only received signal strength to locate partial discharge within a high-voltage electricity Substation. The network comprises low-power and lowcost
radiometric sensor nodes which receive the radiation propagated from a source of partial discharge. Results are reported from a test performed within a large indoor
environment with a network of nine sensor nodes. An emulated PD source was placed at multiple locations within the network. Signal strength measured by the nodes is reported via WirelessHART to a data collection hub where it is processed using a location algorithm. The
results obtained place the measured location within 2 m of the actual source location.