The Solution To Partial Discharge Switchgear

By Author: Adair Sawyer
Total Articles: 421
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When it comes to the quality of products, most people want only the best. In an electrical product, for example, quality means a good build that will ensure that the product will not malfunction or break down due to wear and tear, and one that will do the job that it was designed to do without any hiccups or problems. This would, of course, be an ideal scenario, where once you purchased a product you no longer needed to do any form of checking or maintenance to keep it in its optimal working condition. For some products, however, the purposes for which they are designed make it impossible for manufacturers to guarantee that they will remain in perfect working condition for the duration of their working lives. This is definitely the case with switchgears, and the development of a partial discharge switchgear is not uncommon even with the most expensive equipment of the highest quality. Unfortunately, partial discharge monitoring is necessary to detect the presence of a partial discharge switchgear and prevent a catastrophic electrical breakdown that could disrupt operations and put a real dent in a company’s revenues.

Partial ...
... discharge occurs when the insulation on an electrical component such as a generator, motor or cable breaks down. That insulation is necessary because of the electrical current flowing through the component, both to protect the people who need to work around such equipment and also for the equipment to function. Equipment that has become exposed to the environment through a failure in its insulation is often a hazard to those people working nearby, and if there is a high voltage current of electricity flowing through a particular piece of equipment, it could very well be fatal for a person to come into contact with it.

A partial discharge switchgear develops whenever a problem develops with the insulation on one of the components inside a switchgear. Switchgears are simply enclosures where various fuses, electrical disconnects and circuit breakers are located, and they can be found in buildings, houses and even aboard large vehicles such as ships and airplanes. Due to the sheer number of electrical components that are located within a switchgear, a partial discharge switchgear is definitely not an uncommon occurrence and simply means that the insulation on one of the fuses, electrical disconnects or circuit breakers located within the switchgear has developed an imperfection and electricity is now leaking out through that imperfection.

Partial discharge monitoring to detect a partial discharge switchgear is a relatively simple affair, since there will be a certain number of switchgears located within a single premises and the building blueprints will show exactly how many and where they are located. Partial discharge monitoring equipment can then be installed in each switchgear. If a partial discharge switchgear develops, then the partial discharge monitoring equipment will immediately detect it and the problem can be repaired and disaster averted.

Without partial discharge monitoring equipment, it is only a matter of time before a partial discharge switchgear develops without anyone noticing and an extended power outage occurs. A search will then have to be conducted to locate the exact switchgear that has malfunctioned, and repairs made to bring the power back online, and during this time operations will have to be suspended and the company or companies dependent on the power supply that has been interrupted will be steadily losing revenue.

In order to avoid the many problem associated with a partial discharge switchgear, it is absolutely essential that you install a partial discharge monitoring system such as those available from Dynamic Ratings!