Investigation of Corona Partial Discharge Characteristics Under Variable Frequency and Air Pressure

The rapid growth of electric apparatus in the more electric aircraft (MEA) causes the necessity to step up the electrical power. This, in turn, requires to a higher voltage which increases the electrical stress on insulation system. This can cause partial discharge (PD) in aircraft insulation system. Also, the aircraft generator provides electrical power with variable frequency. The insulation system of aircraft generator experiences different range of air pressure levels under variable voltage frequency. There is an interest on partial discharge detection under this condition. This paper presents the experimental tests that have been conducted to study the impact of voltage frequency and air pressure on corona PD pulse characteristics.