Influence of ring main units and substations on online partial-discharge detection and location in medium-voltage cable networks

Online partial-discharge (PD) monitoring of medium-voltage power cables is traditionally performed on a cable between two consecutive ring main units (RMUs). PD location is achieved using a sensor at each cable end. Monitoring multiple consecutive cables, with RMUs in between, using a single monitoring system is more efficient. In addition, substations and RMUs without possibilities for sensor installation can be circumvented by installing the sensor at the next RMU. This paper studies how RMUs and substations along the cable under test affect online monitoring, including their influence on detection sensitivity, location accuracy, and charge estimate accuracy. Single-sided PD measurement, including PD location, with an RMU or substation at the far end is also considered. Models for RMUs and substations are proposed and verified by measurements. The performance of online PD monitoring is studied for a number of network configurations.