Optical-only detection of partial discharge with fluorescent polymer optical fiber sensors

This paper reflects recent progress in the field of fluorescent polymer optical fiber sensors (F-POF) for partial discharge (PD) detection in high voltage (HV) cable accessories using optical-only PD detection by coincidence single photon counting. In experiments with artificial PD sources these sensors show the ability to detect optical emissions from picocoulomb-level PDs in a real-scale model of a translucent high voltage cable accessory. False positives (caused by detector noise) are efficiently suppressed while maintaining sufficient sensitivity, even when the sensor is located in an unfavorable position. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.