With the proposal of transparent power grids, advanced sensor research has become a hot topic. A partial discharge (PD) sensor is a specialized device that captures electrical signals generated by partial discharge phenomena in power system insulation, enabling real-time monitoring of insulation status and early warning of potential faults. However, the detection sensitivity and signal transmission efficiency of conventional PD sensors are constrained by the intrinsic properties of their sensing materials. This paper focuses on the improvement of the PD sensor using advanced graphene sensing materials. First-principles calculations were performed to evaluate the key charge parameters of the PD sensor. The microstructure model of the PD sensor is constructed, and the charge parameter properties of the graphene partial discharge sensor are calculated and revealed under simulated electric field. Then, the charge transport characteristics of the PD sensor are simulated. The results reveal that the graphene-based sensor exhibits a significantly enhanced transport coefficient—approximately 66% higher than that of conventional sensor materials. Subsequent experiments revealed the better signal transmission of the graphene PD sensor, which outperformed the traditional sensor by 40%. This study provides a microscopic theoretical reference for optimizing electrode plate materials from the atomic level and the device level, which is of great significance for the design and development of high-performance PD sensor power grids.
Zhang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.