Application of acoustic emission for non destructive evaluation of utility inductive reactors

Acoustic emission in oil-filled power transformers and reactors is associated with degradation of the core and the tank assemblies as well as the insulation system. Research aimed at identifying the characteristics of acoustic emission signals from electric utility inductive reactors for the purpose of developing a monitoring system for such equipment is reported. Acoustic emission measurements were carried out on a number of reactors, and the results were analyzed and compared with concurrent dissolved-gas-in-oil analysis. The use of the results for developing a monitoring system is discussed.<>