Partial Discharge detection

Insulation fault detection in rotating machinery using Partial Discharge (PD) has been a hot research topic over the last decades. In recent years, attention has also been paid to low voltage machines, following the advent of wide bandgap semiconductor devices. This paper presents a low-cost, modular, and full-digital PD monitoring device, particularly suitable for deployment in large industrial plants. The proposed innovative solution allows us to implement a monitoring network, ensuring complete coverage in large industrial plants and continuous monitoring of critical machinery. The PD monitoring device relies on a PD conditioning front-end, an acquisition board connected via a daisy chain topology to an interface board, which communicates via Universal Serial Bus with a personal computer. The PD conditioning front-end was initially simulated using PSpice, then built and tested together with the entire acquisition system.Preliminary tests conducted on a proof-of-concept laboratory setup, which included a low voltage induction motor, produced promising results.