Development of a Multiple HFCT-based Reflectometry System for Live Cable Diagnosis

To maintain a reliable power system, it is necessary to assess their live condition or utilize non-destructive diagnostics. Applying the High-Frequency Current Transformer (HFCT) to reflectometry enables a non-destructive testing of target cables and allows for localized fault diagnosis under live conditions without power off. However, cable diagnosis through HFCT is challenging due to significant signal attenuation, dispersion, and nonlinear behavior with respect to frequency. In this paper, we propose a reflectometry system based on multiple HFCT transducers capable of live-wire diagnosis. Multiple HFCT transducers can amplify the signal applied to the target cable, which improves fault detection performance. To select the optimal HFCT installation, two experiments were designed and performance was verified: (1) fault localization, (2) propagation constant estimation.