Simulation of shock wave due to partial discharge using finite element method

This article is devoted to the simulation study of Shock wave propagation due to Partial discharge (PD) activity in a power Transformer. Partial differential equations (PDE) describing the shock wave have been developed and solved using Finite Element Method (FEM). The study described in this paper helps to investigate the propagation behaviour and signal attenuation of the shock waves at the interface of two different media namely oil and steel which are closely monitored here. Reflection and refraction of the waves are simulated and displayed. This is a important result in relation to the interpretation and understanding of practically measured PD signals emitted as a shock wave. As expected, the peak wave amplitude decreases and also more attenuation can be observed as move further from the source. Animation results provide a clearer picture of propagation and attenuation. ©2007 IEEE.