Single-Sensor Based Acoustic Time Reversal Technique for Partial Discharge Localization in Power Transformer

This paper presents partial discharge (PD) localization in power transformers using acoustic time reversal (TR) method. The proposed acoustic TR method can locate the PD source in the transformer using only one acoustic sensor, whereas the time difference of arrival (TDOA) based method requires more than one sensor. The proposed method includes three steps (a) measurement of the acoustic PD signal using one sensor (b) time reversing and back injection of the measured signal into the transformer model through numerical simulation (c) determine the focusing point of the back injected signal using appropriate criterion which provides the location of the PD source. The finite element method (FEM) based two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulation model of the transformer with acoustic PD source is implemented in COMSOL multiphysics. The simulation model is used to investigate the acoustic PD wave propagation in the transformer. The maximum acoustic pressure field criterion is used to locate the PD source in the transformer.