- Conference Article
- 10.1109/sceecs68810.2026.11430021
Analysis of Combined Stresses of Partial Discharge and Operational Voltages in a Power Transformer
- Jan 31, 2026
- Rahul Ray + 7 more +7
Partial discharge (PD) activities are a major factor in insulation failure, accounting for over 60% of damage to high voltage transformers. Common causes of PD are manufacturing defects, environmental stress, and high-voltage surges. In this study, the effect of PD has been examined on minor and major insulation of a Power Transformer subjected to high voltage surges. The considered test voltages are high voltage operational surges like the Standard Lightning Impulse (SLI), Standard Switching Impulse (SSI), Oscillating Lightning Impulse (OLI), and modified SLI with tail chopped or additional overshoots. The OLI and modified SLI with superimposed oscillations or tail chopped are used to simulate the real-world like stresses on the transformer. To analyze the insulation conditions, the coherence function (CF) of the winding current is calculated at the neutral end of the transformer. CF is a statistical tool that measures the linear relationship between two signals in the frequency domain. The CF values are calculated for the simulated winding current obtained when partial discharges of varying magnitude are present versus when they are absent under different high frequency test voltages. From the results, it is found that when PD occurs across the main insulation, superimposed voltages consistently show the strongest correlation, while SLI with tailchopped voltages show minimum coherence with PD activity. The effect of varying the PD magnitude is negligible for minor insulation. This preliminary simulation study establishes a foundation for future experimental research to study the interaction of PD and test voltages on winding insulation, ultimately aiming to improve transformer performance, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
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