How to Calculate Corona Power
- 1). Use an acoustic emission tool as far as 300 feet away to detect the corona power. This technique is useful when the human eye falls short. While this technique is easy to execute, it doesn't give you specifics about the amount of energy that is being lost. Be careful that extra noise isn't around when using the acoustic instruments, as this excess sound can interfere with efficiency. Acoustic emission tools detect the elastic waves, or stress waves, of the corona. The release of corona power is detected in waves starting at 0 Hz and ending at several MHz.
- 2). Test the corona power with a ultrasound transducer and diagnostic machine. This technique limits you to the exposed surfaces of the cable windings, rather than the insulated coils. Tiny ultrasonic pulse waves that have a 0.1-15 MHz and sometimes 50 MHz are shot into the cables to detect flaws that could be increasing the corona power. Connect the ultrasound transducer to the diagnostic machine and wave it over the cable or alloy. Now you can receive the ultrasound waveform through reflection, which is a pulse echo whereby the transducer releases a pulse wave that is sent back to the device. The wave is sent back from the back wall of the cable or alloy or from an imperfection in the cable or alloy.
- 3). Use the ultrasound transducer again to run an attenuation test. This technique uses a transmitter to release an ultrasound through a surface. Place a receiver on the other side of the cable or alloy to detect the amount of ultrasound that penetrates the cable. Imperfections in the cable will reduce the amount of transmitted ultrasound. This technique is useful at detecting even the smallest imperfections, and can even estimate the size, shape and nature of the defects. Only the most experienced technicians can attain an accurate reading through this technique.
