A Comparative Study of Time-Evolution Characteristics of Single and Double Cavity Partial Discharges

Partial discharge (PD) in cavities can lead to a breakdown in solid insulation and, therefore, indicate the onset of aging in electrical equipment. It is necessary to investigate the activity of single- and double-cavity PD under aging conditions, which is the focus of this study. The results obtained can be useful in monitoring the condition of insulation systems. The factors (pressure, effective work function, and charge decay time constant) that influence PD behaviour under different test conditions were permutated in a PD model. The simulation results agree with measurements obtained for the same applied voltage. The model can generate PD pulse distribution shapes similar to the measured PD of single and double cavities. Both turtle-like and rabbit-ear-like phase-resolved PD (PRPD) patterns were observed during the aging process of the samples in both double and single cavities. This study concludes that the identification of the PD pattern achieved in this work for closely coupled cavities is a step towards characterizing multiple defects phenomena through PD evolution patterns.