Time reversal to localise multiple partial discharges in power cables

The paper studies the suitability of the electromagnetic time reversal (EMTR) technique to localise multiple sources of partial discharges (PD) in power cables. In particular, the localisation of two PDs in a homogeneous power line is investigated both in the presence or absence of noise. The investigation, which is based on numerical simulations, shows that an EMTR-based PD localisation method is able to localise two PDs occurring simultaneously in a line using only a measurement at one observation point (OP), indiscriminately collecting the direct and reflected signals coming from the two PD sources. The EMTR procedure to localise multiple PD sources, using a Transmission Line Matrix model digital twin for the time reversal simulations, is described and the challenges that must be addressed to develop an EMTR-based device for the on-line location of multiple PDs are discussed.