Partial Discharge Investigation under Low Air Pressure and Variable Frequency for More-electric-aircraft

More-electric-aircrafts (MEAs) are heading towards larger power, higher voltage, and more optimum architectures, it is extremely important to understand partial discharge (PD) behaviors under the challenging aeronautical power systems. PD under the pressure of 1–101 kPa and frequency of 50–1000 Hz is studied to emulate the practical situation with the consideration of insulation defects from electric machine windings. The high frequency current transformer (HFCT) is specifically employed to pick up partial discharge signals. Experimental results indicate that PD inception voltage (PDIV) decreases almost linearly with air pressure. As to the discharge amplitude, it increases first and then decreases as air pressure dropping. The highest discharge repetition rate and the number of discharges appear at 30 kPa. High frequency doubles the number of discharges without affecting PD amplitude. Low air pressure causes the phase shift and phase width of the phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD) to increase, and the trend also is accelerated by high frequency. This experimental approach is beneficial to provide prerequisite knowledge in characterizing PD and assessing its potential adverse impact on the aeronautical power system and consequently contribute to optimizing the insulation design for MEA.