This paper dealt with the propagation characteristics of acoustic signal in insulation oil for the purpose of improving the reliability of AE (acoustic emission) method used for condition monitoring of oil-immersed transformers. A discharge source was placed in insulation oil and AE sensors (fc :140 kHz) were attached on the oil tank to study the changes of velocity and propagation path with the depth and distance. The average velocity was 1,436 m/s and the velocity decreased with the increase of depth from the oil surface to 430 mm. The propagation paths were classified into three sections by the shortest reflection path of the detected signal. The minimum distinguishable distance in each section was 70 mm. It was also verified that PD (partial discharge) with a magnitude over than 500 pC can be detected by the AE sensors.
