Airborne Ultrasound has been used for decades in electrical failure detection, such as Corona, Tracking, and Arc, in circuit assets around the world. However until a few years ago the diagnoses had to be made through a pure hearing acoustic quality analysis trying to identify the different sound patterns that are present in each detectable fault with this technology
This weakness caused that the routine inspections with Airborne Ultrasound were not given the due value, since depending just on the technician interpretation is not always the best way to make a decision involving critical assets such as transformers or others present on distribution, transmission and/or substations.
In our days, Airborne Ultrasound Receivers have the ability to record sounds that were detected on the field. This allows the personnel to carry that information to a platform that converts it to a graph that shows the acoustic characteristics contained on the signal.
This practice has been documented and recommended by the standard ISO 29821-1 called “Condition Monitoring and Diagnostics of Machines – Ultrasound” Part 1 “General Guidelines,” so adopting it becomes a must.
Airborne Ultrasound
Or also known as acoustic ultrasound is a technology that allows the user to detect frequencies above threshold of human hearing. The decrease in the dielectric strength of our insulation due to several conditions as contamination, humidity, among others causes electrons that integrate our electrical current to escape from our system. Atmosphere ionization caused by the gain of electrons by the atoms that constitute the atmosphere generates Ultrasound. This acoustic energy will be detected by our Airborne Ultrasound Receivers, recorded and then analyzed.