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Partial Discharge: Testing and Condition Assessment

Electrical Engineering Courses

Course Overview

Insulation rarely fails without warning — it whispers first, through partial discharge. Learning to hear those whispers is one of the most valuable skills in modern asset management, allowing switchgear, cables, transformers and motors to be repaired before they fail catastrophically. This course covers PD theory, measurement techniques both online and offline, interpretation of results, and how PD data feeds a condition-based maintenance programme.

What You Will Achieve

  • Explain what partial discharge is and why it precedes insulation failure
  • Select appropriate PD detection methods: electrical, ultrasonic, UHF, TEV
  • Perform online PD surveys on switchgear and cables safely
  • Interpret PD patterns and severity to prioritise intervention
  • Integrate PD testing into a condition-based maintenance strategy

Who Should Attend

Electrical engineers, condition-monitoring specialists, test technicians and asset managers responsible for medium- and high-voltage plant.

Course Outline

  1. 01Insulation ageing and the physics of partial discharge
  2. 02PD types: internal, surface, corona and their signatures
  3. 03Measurement fundamentals: IEC 60270 and beyond
  4. 04Online techniques: TEV, ultrasonic and UHF surveys
  5. 05Offline testing of cables, motors and switchgear
  6. 06Pattern interpretation and severity assessment
  7. 07Case studies: catches, misses and lessons
  8. 08Building PD into condition-based maintenance

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