4.4 Concluding remarks
The study of partial discharges is not an academic pursuit. It is driven by a very
practical desire, a desire to understand a phenomenon which can be utilised to infer
the level of integrity within the insulation systems of high voltage plant and which, in
itself, constitutes a serious stress degradation mechanism. The role of partial discharge
studies remains twofold: to enable the development of new insulating systems which
are resistant to partial discharge stressing and to predict remnant life for existing
plant systems. To this end, studies in partial discharges involve a balance – a balance
between understanding the phenomenon and being able to measure it. On one side
lies the understanding of how partial discharges cause degradation, and which are
the key parameters of activity to be measured. On the other side lies the ability to
make the measurement, often under very adverse conditions.