Investigation on the placement effect of UHF sensor and propagation characteristics of PD-induced electromagnetic wave in GIS based on FDTD method

Using ultra-high-frequency (UHF) method in practical partial discharge (PD) detection can be affected by the positioning and placement of the UHF sensor. This in turn can affect the PD diagnosis. To ensure optimal performance of the sensor and understand the propagation process of electromagnetic (EM) wave, there is a need to fully analyze how the sensor´s placement affects the output signal and the attenuation of EM wave in various positions and directions. As the previous researches are mainly concentrating on the radial component of the UHF signal, the propagation of the signal components in axial and radial directions and that perpendicular to the radial direction of the GIS tank are investigated in detail in this paper. Firstly, the attenuation of UHF signals at different radial positions of a GIS model is analyzed using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Then, secondly, the coupled signals in the three directions are calculated respectively. By comparing the signal received for different directions and circumferential angles, the peak to peak value (Vpp) and cumulative energy of the coupled voltage in each case are considered both in the time and frequency domain. As well, the attenuation characteristics and rules are summarized, based on which a new method for circumferential and axial location is proposed. The investigation on the propagation and the detection mechanism of EM wave in GIS provides a significant understanding of the application of UHF sensor and actual PD detection.