Simulation of Partial Discharge Phenomena in Power Cables

Partial Discharge phenomena arise in cable dielectrics due to high field strengths across imperfections caused by bubbles, inhomogeneities, etc. Charges build up on opposite faces of those imperfections and, as the electric field strength reaches a critical value, there is a localised discharge. The effect of such discharges can propagate along the cable, perhaps manifesting as noise phenomena in the receiving and source ends. Perhaps more significantly, this could lead to potentially catastrophic failure of the insulation. This paper will review some of the recent approaches to simulating partial discharge phenomena and current progress in using a commercial full-wave electromagnetic solver to provide a reliable simulation test-bed for a more detailed analysis of the effects of various imperfections and inclusions as well as generating discharge data to be used in other transmission line simulations.