An Automatic Corona-discharge Detection System for Railways Based on Solar-blind Ultraviolet Detection

Corona discharge is always a sign of failure processes of high-voltage electrical apparatus, including those utilized in electric railway systems. Solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) cameras are effective tools for corona inspection. In this work, we present an automatic railway corona-discharge detection system based on solar-blind ultraviolet detection. The UV camera, mounted on top of a train, inspects the electrical apparatus, including transmission lines and insulators, along the railway during fast cruising of the train. An algorithm based on the Hough transform is proposed for distinguishing the emitting objects (corona discharge) from the noise. The detection system can report the suspected corona discharge in real time during fast cruises. An experiment was carried out during a routine inspection of railway apparatus in Xinjiang Province, China. Several corona-discharge points were found along the railway. The false-alarm rate was controlled to less than one time per hour during this inspection.