Abstract：In recent years, the traveling wave reflection method has been widely used in the defect detection of cables to ensure the reliability of cable operation. The traveling wave reflection methods used in engineering practice mainly include time domain reflectometry and frequency domain reflectometry. Time domain reflectometry is simple and easy to implement, and fast to detect, but the defect location accuracy and sensitivity are low. Frequency domain reflectometry has high detection accuracy, but requires high equipment requirements and complex signal processing modules. In addition, the algorithm of frequency domain reflectometry to diagnose and characterize the polarity of defects may cause oscillations in the location curve, which seriously affects the reliability of the detection results. In order to solve the above problems of cable defect detection, this paper proposes the pulse frequency domain reflectometry to meet the demand for lightweight, accurate and fast cable defect detection. First, the matching frequency band technique is proposed. The matching frequency band technique specifies that the frequency corresponding to 5% of the maximum value of the spectrum of the trapezoidal pulse signal is the upper limit of the effective frequency band of the RCS, and this frequency does not exceed the first local minimum of the spectrum of the trapezoidal pulse signal. The matching frequency band technique ensures that the RCS acquired by the trapezoidal pulse is reliable. Then, the separate determination method for defect location and polarity diagnosis has been proposed. The separate determination method constructs the cable defect location function and polarity diagnostic function, respectively. The method of determining the defect location and polarity sequentially through different diagnostic functions can effectively avoid the oscillation of the location curve caused by the polarity change using the traditional frequency domain reflectometry. Finally, the reliability of the pulse frequency domain reflectometry proposed in this paper is verified by simulations and experiments. The simulation results show that the matching frequency band technique and separate determination method are effective. The RCS frequency band is too high or too low, resulting in oscillations and broadening of the location results. The experiment results show that the pulse frequency domain reflectometry is also effective for real defects both in the RG58 cable and 10 kV power cable. Compared to the traditional frequency domain reflectometry, the advanges of the the pulse frequency domain reflectometry include: (1) No additional signal processing module is required to separate incident and reflected signals, which is conducive to the lightweight of defect detection; (2) diagnostic results are not subject to oscillations caused by polarity changes, which is conducive to the accuracy of defect detection; (3) fast detection with less data required is available, which is conducive to the rapidity of defect detection; (4) in case of an impedance mismatch at the head end of the cable, the diagnostic results do not produce a masked area. In conclusion, the pulse frequency domain reflectometry proposed in this paper is conducive to the lightweight, accurate and fast detection of cable defects, which has certain practical significance in engineering.
宋辞, 穆海宝, 邹星宇, 成子谦, 王帅. 基于脉冲频域反射法的电缆缺陷检测技术[J]. 电工技术学报, 2026, 41(5): 1795-1804.
Song Ci, Mu Haibao, Zou Xingyu, Cheng Ziqian, Wang Shuai. Cable Defect Detection Technology Based on Pulse Frequency Domain Reflectometry. Transactions of China Electrotechnical Society, 2026, 41(5): 1795-1804.
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2026, Vol. 41 
