The capacitive coupler, acoustic emission (AE) sensor and radio frequency current transducer (RFCT) have been used to detect partial discharge (PD) activity within a 132kV prefabricated cable joint containing a known defect. Although each of the three methods has been applied individually under different situations, a comprehensive investigation and comparison of these three methods has not yet been made. Results obtained were compared to measurements made using the conventional electrical detection method. The quantification of the capacitive coupler measured signal in mV with a discharge apparent quantity in pC has been investigated an an on-line quantification method proposed. The capacitive coupler has good detection sensitivity and PD location can be realised by studying the time of flight between signals from two sensors. The difference in pulse shape, spectrum and time of flight between an internal discharge and external interference has been investigated. The AE approach has the advantage of being free from electrical interference. However, AE signals were significantly attenuated within the cable joint. RFCTs were used to detect the discharge current flowing through the cable sheath. Where the detection sensitivity was low, a wavelet de-noising method was applied to process the RFCT signals and proved to be effective in increasing the measurement signal to noise ratio.
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