Advantages of continuous monitoring of partial discharges in rotating equipment and switchgear

For over fifty years companies have been performing partial discharge measurements on electric equipment in order to obtain information as to the quality of insulation on operating equipment. Partial discharge activity is a well-accepted indicator of insulation deterioration. Consequently, trending of partial discharge activity provides equipment owners the opportunity to reduce forced outages and increase productivity of plant equipment. Traditionally, periodic testing is performed, but advances in technology allow the continuous monitoring of partial discharge activity.