A Low-cost DAC System for On-site PD Testing of HV Cables Based on ACRF and Capacitor Bank

Damped AC (DAC) technique has proven to be one of the most acceptable techniques for on-site partial discharge (PD) detection. However, the expensive high-voltage switches, used in the DAC system, impede the further spread of the technique. This letter presents a low-cost DAC system for PD test of high-voltage cables. The DAC voltage is generated by the frequency-tuned series resonant technique and two cost-effective switches which have relatively low rated voltage. Since the system uses a capacitor bank, high input power is not necessary. This letter describes the design and implementation of the system. An experimental study and an on-site test validate the effectiveness of the proposed system.