Three-Dimensional Partial Discharge Localization Method Based on Hybrid RSSI Fingerprint Maps and Minimal Deviation Model

The UHF received signal strength indicator (RSSI) fingerprint map method was recently proposed to overcome the restrictions of the time delay algorithm widely used for partial discharge (PD) localization. However, existing studies focus on two-dimensional PD localization, while many situations require three-dimensional information. In addition, PD localization accuracy is highly dependent on the precision of prebuilt fingerprint maps, which remains challenging to achieve. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid three-dimensional PD localization method that combines RSSI fingerprint maps and a range-based algorithm. First, limited test points on several planes were selected to build RSSI fingerprint maps. Then, single-plane smooth interpolation was employed for each plane to obtain smooth three-dimensional fingerprint maps. Here, the limited test points compensate for the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) effect, while the interpolation method reduced the workload required to build the fingerprint map. Thirdly, enhanced four-dimensional fingerprint maps were established based on the Kriging method. Finally, a minimal deviation model was proposed to locate the position of the PD source by analyzing the relative ratio of the RSSI values across different sensors. Laboratory validation shows that the average error of the proposed method is 0.69 m, which demonstrates its accuracy and practical application value of the proposed method.