RF front-end Module for On-Line UHF Partial-discharge Monitoring System

A RF front-end module is designed for GIS(Gas Insulated Substation) which is employed for effective and efficient very high voltage transmission. Major advantage of the unit is improved PO detection sensitivity through minimizing the effect of surrounding interference signals, which is achieved by controlling the gain and the selection of the frequency band, for the precise detection of any UHF PO (Partial Discharge) disturbance occurred in the GIS due to some unwanted problems. For the development of the module, various switches for providing selected signal paths, wideband LNA, 3 BPF for selecting detection frequency band, and video detector are designed, fabricated and measured on 1 mm FR4 substrate with various RF components. The detection sensitivity of the unit was <-60 dBm that is sufficient to detect UHF PO signals as low as 1 pC. It is believed that the value is enough to detect the signal occurred in GIS.