Why conduct routine OLPD Testing?

Routine PD testing is vital to know the insulation condition of your critical assets. Whether it be a MV or HV Switchgear, Transformer, Power Cable, or GIS, all of these power equipment rely on a type of insulation. Insulation defects can be caused by many different factors, including manufacturing defects, weathering due to humidity, constant voltage stress, across the insulation material, and more. Once partial discharge occurs, it will progressively worsen and continue deteriorating the insulation condition until it reaches the point of failure. This is why it is important to conduct routine partial discharge testing on all of your critical assets to assess the condition of your insulation, and PMDT makes this routine testing easy and efficient with our portable, handheld partial discharge detectors, the PDetector and PDStar.

PDetector- Handheld Partial Discharge Detector

The PDetector is the ideal device for Online Partial Discharge (OLPD) testing of MV and HV power equipment, which employs five types of detection technologies with a combination of seven sensors. These detection technologies are Ultra-High Frequency (UHF), Acoustic Emissions (AE), Ultrasonic, High Frequency Current Transformer (HFCT), and Transient Earth Voltage (TEV). The information from multiple sensors gives the PDetector the versatility to detect all types of PD in various power equipment. The sensors collect the data, which can be saved and stored on the PDetector, and the user can view and analyze the data on the device or upload it to the PC-based software for data management. The PDetector greatly simplifies and standardizes the routine OLPD testing procedure by utilizing the Intelligent Patrol function, which allows users to create a test job and add all the assets and test points to be tested. Once the test job is created, it will guide the user on the testing procedure and assist with data management.

Main Features:
• Employs 5 types of online PD Sensor technologies
• PRPD, PRPS, Single-Cycle, Phase, Waveform, and Amplitude Spectrums to determine PD types
• Wireless connection to UHF and HFCT sensors
• Power/Light frequency synchronization
• Intelligent Patrol Function to create a test task with a set standard test procedure to improve test efficiency
• One-key data saving and simple operation, ideal for quick PD testing for a whole substation
• Records up to 5 minutes of video while in the PRPD/PRPS detection modes of the UHF/HFCT Sensors
• PC-based data management software with automatic report generation function in MS Word format
• On-board data storage
• Environmentally friendly and supports paperless testing

The PDetector data management software is a powerful, PC-based tool that stores, manages, analyzes the test data, and manages the test jobs.
• Test File Management: manages the online testing data files of the power equipment and substations.
• Test Job Management: creates, issues, manages test jobs and archives the test data.
• Test Data Management: stores and manages the test data spectrums collected by the PDetector and provide trend analysis.
• Intelligent Patrol Function: creates a new test job on software and downloaded to the PDetector main unit. Patrol the substation and test for PD efficiently.

PDStar- Intelligent Handheld Partial Discharge Detector with Thermal Imaging Camera

The PDStar is the superior handheld partial discharge detector for testing various MV and HV power equipment. It integrates OLPD testing and Infrared testing in one device, combining UHF, AE, Ultrasonic, HFCT, TEV, and Infrared testing technologies. It is applicable for OLPD testing, as well as abnormal heating defect detection. PD amplitude, PRPD, PRPS, and infrared spectrums provide critical data for determining the operational condition of electric power equipment. The PDStar can connect to our PMDTCloud platform via 3G/4G/Wi-Fi connection to upload test data, download test jobs, and receive diagnostic results in real time. Another unique feature of the PDStar is that it implements a 100 MSPS (Mega-Samples per Second) HFCT signal processor, providing an improved performance when testing Power Cables.

Main Features:
• Conducts OLPD testing with UHF, HFCT, TEV, AE, and Ultrasonic Sensors
• Conducts Infrared testing by simply attaching the Thermal Imaging Camera to the PDStar main unit
• PRPD, PRPS, Single-Cycle, Phase, Waveform, and Amplitude spectrums are used to determine PD types with recording options
• Provides local diagnostic results of noise or PD and PD types automatically on screen
• The PMDTCloud analyzes the data by utilizing Deep Learning Technology to produce a more accurate diagnostics of the data
• PC-based data management software with automatic report generation function in JPEG/MS Word formats
• Records up to 5 minutes of video while in the PRPS/PRPD Detection Modes of the UHF/HFCT Sensors
• Records ultrasonic sound in audio recordings while in the AE detection mode
• The Intelligent Patrol Function is used to create a test task with a set standard test procedure to improve testing efficiency

The PDStar data management software is a powerful, PC-based tool that stores, manages, analyzes the test data and manages the test jobs.

• Test File Management: manages the online testing data files of the power equipment and substations.
• Test Job Management: stores and manages the test data spectrums collected by the PDStar and provide trend analysis. There are 19 kinds of PD and infrared test data including spectrums, audio and video.
• Data Analysis: automatically analyzes your uploaded data and provides PD types and results
• Automatic Report Generation: generates an automatic report for your test jobs and data with analysis results included.
• Intelligent Patrol Function: create a new test job on software and download it to the PDStar main unit. Patrol the Substation and test for PD efficiently.

PDStar Data Management Software

The PDStar data management software is a powerful, PC-based tool that stores, manages, analyzes the test data and manages the test jobs.

• Test File Management: manages the online testing data files of the power equipment and substations.
• Test Job Management: stores and manages the test data spectrums collected by the PDStar and provide trend analysis. There are 19 kinds of PD and infrared test data including spectrums, audio and video.
• Data Analysis: automatically analyzes your uploaded data and provides PD types and results
• Automatic Report Generation: generates an automatic report for your test jobs and data with analysis results included.
• Intelligent Patrol Function: create a new test job on software and download it to the PDStar main unit. Patrol the Substation and test for PD efficiently.

Field Applications

The PDetector and PDStar can be employed for routine OLPD testing on MV and HV Switchgear, Oil-Filled and Dry-Type Transformers, Power Cables, and GIS. Below are examples of the field testing procedures utilizing the device’s five different detection technologies (AE, Ultrasonic, TEV, UHF, and HFCT.)

Note: These field-testing procedures apply to both the PDetector and PDStar.

Case Study

In the following case study, the PDetector was used to detect a PD signal source on a 13.8 kV Switchgear. During the routine PDetector test, the UHF sensor with its PRPD-PRPS spectrums was used to analyze the detected signals.

The UHF PRPD-PRPS spectrum has two large amplitude clusters at 90 degrees and 270 degrees, separated by 180 degrees. These characteristics indicate there is PD within the Switchgear and the type is Floating Electrode. After the Switchgear was de-energized and maintained, a retest was conducted with the PDetector and no PD signal was detected.

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