Online partial discharge detection: LENA and UFSM strengthen their collaboration
In April 2026, a new research project was launched at UFSM to develop and experimentally validate a high-frequency current transformer (HFCT) for monitoring partial discharges. The project, scheduled to run through the end of 2028, is led by Prof. Aécio de Lima Oliveira (LAPES); Dr.-Ing. Mauro Dos Santos Ortiz and M.Sc. Christoph Andres are contributing to the research on behalf of OVGU. On the Brazilian side, M.Sc. Kaynan Maresh played a key role in initiating the project and has been driving its implementation forward with great dedication ever since. The fact that this collaboration is already a reality is also evident in that two UFSM master’s students, Luis Augusto Magalhães Santos and Gabriel de Moraes Volpato da Rosa, are currently conducting research at the LENA Chair as part of the DeBraIA program, where they are carrying out experimental work on partial discharge detection. The project focuses on the broad-based application of HFCT sensors for online partial discharge measurement on various pieces of equipment in the Brazilian power grid, ranging from current transformers to transformers and gas-insulated switchgear.
The project is thematically linked to the DeTEkt research project coordinated by the LENA Chair, which focuses specifically on partial discharge detection in medium-voltage power cables for online monitoring of their insulation condition. The two projects thus complement each other in technical terms and form the basis for deeper collaboration between UFSM and OVGU in the field of online partial discharge measurement, as was already evident during the PROBRAL meeting in Santa Maria in June 2026, where the two institutions jointly conducted their first field and laboratory measurements.