In this paper,it is found through the diagnosis test that the 35 kV shunt reactor in normal opera-tion has inter-turn insulation defect and is in operation state with fault.Such tests as DC resistance,reac-tance,power frequency loss,inter-turn insulation and lightning impulse are performed on the reactor respec-tively at site and factory,and the gradual deterioration process of the inter-turn insulation defects is ana-lyzed through data analysis.It is found after the disassembly of the reactor with defect that there are typical wet contamination discharge traces on the 8-3 layer,which is consistent with the test results.The causes of appearance creepage and breakdown are analyzed.The sensitivity and cause analysis of the existing test items to find inter-turn insulation defects is displayed.In combination with such factors as the operating en-vironment and defect characteristics of the dry-type reactor,relevant suggestions for its production process,routine maintenance,maintenance and test item selection are proposed as to ensure that the potential de-fects of the dry-type reactor can be found in time,prevent the operation with defects,and assure safe and sta-ble operation of the power grid.