Intelligent fault diagnosis for on-line condition monitoring in smart distribution networks

Partial discharge (PD) measurements can be regarded as an effective and reliable tool for on-line condition monitoring and asset management of high voltage (HV) apparatus. Recently, a novel application is observed in the monitoring of falling trees on covered-conductor (CC) overhead distribution lines. In this paper, Rogowski and Pearson coils are used as sensors to detect PDs for this specific application. These sensors are non-intrusive and superior to the conventional PD detecting methods. In the next stage of future developments, the wired sensor will be converted into a wireless one. The challenges faced while implementing future wireless technology are also described here. In future, the wireless sensors will be integrated into distribution management system (DMS) to detect and localize the falling trees. The proposed intelligent fault diagnosis system will improve the safety of CC lines and make them more attractive to utilities due to reduced maintenance costs and visual inspection work. In addition, the reliability of the distribution system will improve which is one of the significant characteristics of the future smart distribution networks.