And finally – to those readers who are perhaps embarking on a study of partial
discharges for the first time – a thought. As with most fields of endeavour, partial
discharge research is complex. Understanding the mechanisms of partial discharge
degradation, parameters of partial discharge activity and thereby inferring the rate,
form and extent of degradation to predict remnant life is extraordinarily difficult. In a
career’s research of partial discharges, most of us can only hope to contribute one small
piece to the puzzle of this phenomenon. However, once in every few generations, a
researcher of true stature emerges. This person is capable of taking the many and
varied pieces of the puzzle and bringing them together to form an intelligible picture.
That has yet to happen for partial discharges. The most that each of us can hope to
do, until then, is to ensure that the small piece which we contribute to the study of
partial discharges has clarity, objectivity and accuracy.