EA Technology has launched a groundbreaking handheld instrument to locate internal Partial Discharge(PD)activity in high voltage open terminal switchyard equipment.
The PD Hawk enables operators to identify PD emissions,which are characteristic of the breakdown of internal insulation that can lead to failure,from a safe distance.A whole switchyard can be scanned for potentially failing assets in minutes.
EA Technology Director Neil Davies said:"The first sign of problems in switchyards is usually when an asset fails suddenly,causing expensive damage and outage.The unique design of the PD Hawk enables operators to locate PD activity in live assets,quickly and in safety.
"The ability to spot problems and intervene before they cause outages will deliver a rapid return on investment,but the PD Hawk is also a uniquely valuable tool for gathering information on the condition of large numbers of switchyard assets,which is essential for planning maintenance and replacement programs."
Available worldwide through EA Technology's network of offices and distributors,the battery powered PD Hawk can be used to locate PD emissions in assets including circuit breakers,isolators,disconnectors,surge arrestors,cable sealing ends and instrument transformers.
The PD Hawk can be tuned by the user to measure emissions in the 47–1000 MHz frequency range.Its factory default setting of around 800MHz enables operators to tune out non-PD emissions including non-destructive corona activity,and eliminate false readings from wireless sources such as TV masts and mobile phones.The operator can safely listen to emissions on the built-in speaker and/or over headphones.Signals can also be viewed on the instrument's menu-driven screen,which displays them as magnitude,frequency and pulse timing.
