What is Electromagnetic Signature Analysis?

Electromagnetic (Interference) Signature Analysis (EMSA) is the capture and analysis of both controlled and uncontrolled electromagnetic emissions absorbed by electrical utility equipment (generators, motors, transformers, switchgears, etc.) to determine if any uncontrolled sources of discharge are being emitted from within the electrical utility equipment.

In the early 1980’s, two Westinghouse engineers wrote a paper discussing the possibility that using low-frequency equipment could potentially help detect defects in high-frequency equipment. This paper was based upon the fact that energy discharges (such as arcing, lightning, partial discharge, etc.) generate a broadband high-frequency emission pattern.

When he was working at American Electric Power (AEP), Jim Timperley read that paper and started using some CISPR-compliant equipment to detect emissions coming from generators, motors, switchgears, and transformers from the 10 kHz to 100 MHz frequency bands.

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