Detecting Electromagnetic Disturbances on Transmission Lines Using Time Reversal

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.Transmission lines can suffer a variety of electromagnetic disturbances. These can range from intentional interference, due to malicious intent, through to the effects of lightning strikes or partial discharge. Given a high-fidelity model of the transmission line, it is possible to take measurement data and ‘run time backwards’ to identify the source of the disturbance. This paper reviews the theory and implementation of electromagnetic time reversal, provides some examples from the literature, and illustrates its operation with current research to identify the source of a partial discharge event on Medium and High Voltage cables