Irrespective of whether the insulating system is gaseous, liquid,
solid or a combination of these, partial discharge activity will cause degradation.
It can therefore be appreciated why understanding the processes by which partial
discharges cause degradation is so important to the development of new insulating
systems capable of withstanding this stress mechanism. In addition, it can also be
appreciated why understanding the correlations among the measurable parameters
of discharge activity and the nature, form and extent of degradation present is so
important to the engineer responsible for the maintenance and asset management of
existing plant systems.