ABSTRACT In existing ultrasonic localization methods for transformer partial discharge, three‐dimensional sensor array deployment requires a large number of sensors, resulting in a high cost and unfavourable spatial topology. In contrast, two‐dimensional array deployment exhibits low sensitivity to the vertical position of partial discharge sources and is prone to multiple solutions and local optimal solutions under ambiguous boundary conditions. To address these limitations, this paper integrates the advantages of both three‐dimensional and two‐dimensional array deployments while avoiding their respective drawbacks. Proposing a transformer partial discharge localization method based on optical and electric collaborative acoustic sensing technology. Firstly, a collaborative deployment scheme for distributed optical fibre sensing and electronic acoustic sensing is investigated. Subsequently, a hierarchical fusion localization strategy is designed, in which spatial localization is achieved using optical signals followed by precise localization using electrical signals. Finally, a partial discharge experimental platform is established and both types of sensors are deployed. Partial discharge localization is performed based on the acquired optical and electrical signals, and comparative experiments are conducted with existing localization methods. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a localization error of less than 7.12 cm with a localization time of 0.95 s, without the occurrence of local optimal solutions or multiple solutions. Compared with existing partial discharge localization techniques, the proposed method exhibits higher accuracy and good feasibility. By constraining the solution space spatially, it effectively avoids local optimal solutions during nonlinear equation solving, thereby fully validating its effectiveness in transformer partial discharge localization.
Lv et al. (Thu,) studied this question.