Partial Discharge & RIV Measurement Systems
Charge, RIV and acoustic location from one measurement chain
Partial discharge (PD) is the test that tells you whether insulation will last, and it is also the test most easily ruined by the environment it is run in. Atlas Energy supplies complete PD and radio influence voltage (RIV) measurement systems for equipment from 13.8 kV to 500 kV, covering the coupling device, the detector, the calibration and the report. You get one chain that was designed together instead of three instruments that have to be argued into agreement.
Charge is picked up either through a coupling capacitor or through a high-frequency current transformer (HFCT) clamped on a ground lead, so the same system works on a factory test floor and on an energized bus. RIV is measured from 100 µV to 2,000 mV. A 120-microphone acoustic camera puts the source on a picture when you need to say where the discharge is, not only how large it is. PDMS software handles noise filtering, analysis, the database and the report, and the system communicates over TCP/IP, Modbus, DNP 3.0 and IEC 61850 when it has to sit inside a larger test bay.
Why it matters
Charge and RIV come from the same measurement chain, so the NEMA 107 radio influence number and the IEC 60270 picocoulomb number are recorded against the same test voltage in the same file.
HFCT coupling clamps onto an existing ground path, so a PD survey on an energized asset does not require an outage just to install a coupling capacitor.
The 120-microphone acoustic camera turns "there is discharge somewhere in this bay" into a location on an image. That is the difference between a finding and a work order.
PDMS keeps raw data, filter settings and calibration together, so a result stays defensible months later when someone challenges the report.
TCP/IP, Modbus, DNP 3.0 and IEC 61850 let the system report into an existing test bay rather than live as an island instrument.
Ratings
Voltage range: 13.8 kV to 500 kV
RIV range: 100 µV to 2,000 mV
Electrical detection: Capacitive coupling or high-frequency current transformer (HFCT)
Acoustic detection: 120-microphone acoustic camera
Coupling capacitors: Oil or epoxy insulated
Communication: TCP/IP, Modbus, DNP 3.0, IEC 61850
Software: PDMS — partial discharge and radio influence voltage analysis, noise filtering, database and reporting
Extended range
Laboratory PD detectors: 0.02 pC sensitivity, 12-bit resolution, measuring range up to 10,000 nC, frequency response to 3 MHz
PD location: Partial discharge location systems
Combined AC withstand + PD: To 150 kV / 1 A with system PD below 5 pC
Standards
IEEE C57.113
IEEE C57.124
IEEE Std 1434
NEMA 107 (RIV)
IEC 60270
CISPR 18
ABNT NBR 5356
Applications
Transformer and reactor factory acceptance testing
Generator and large motor stator diagnostics
Switchgear and GIS commissioning
Corona and RIV verification on hardware and insulators
Substation fault localization
Questions engineers ask
What is the difference between a PD measurement in pC and an RIV measurement in µV?They describe the same event with different instruments. An IEC 60270 measurement integrates apparent charge and reports picocoulombs. An RIV measurement uses a quasi-peak radio noise meter and reports microvolts, which is what NEMA 107 and CISPR 18 ask for on hardware and insulators. This system measures both, from 100 µV to 2,000 mV, against the same applied voltage.
Can partial discharge be measured without taking the equipment out of service?Yes, using HFCT coupling. The current transformer clamps around an existing ground connection, so no coupling capacitor has to be installed and the asset stays energized. The 120-microphone acoustic camera also works from outside the enclosure. Full IEC 60270 charge calibration still needs the coupling capacitor circuit on a de-energized object.
Technical documentation
Download HVEX Partial Discharge and RIV Measurement System datasheet (English, PDF)
