Experimental studies on insulating oils for power transformer applications
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Sujit Khandai
,
Jasper D.
and
Nirmal K. Roy
Abstract
In recent days, ester-based alternatives like natural and synthetic oils are preferred as an alternative to mineral oil by the power industry due to its higher bio-degradability, superior thermal conductivity, and fire resistance than mineral oil. In addition to this, blended oils are quite attractive because of its low dielectric loss and a low ratio of degradation. The present research deals with the experimental studies on different insulating oils like mineral oil, synthetic ester oil, coconut oil, blended oils, and nanofluids, which are developed from ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticle doped at 0.01 vol% in different insulating oils through ultrasonication process. In this experiment, the critical properties like electrical and physicochemical properties are examined according to International Electrotechnical Commission and American Society for Testing and Materials standards. Results show that ZnO and TiO2 nano-powder enhances the AC breakdown voltage (BDV), dielectric permittivity, and DC resistivity properties of different insulating oils with improved flash and fire resistance. Remarkably, it is found that mineral oil-based TiO2 nanofluid shows an enhancement of 55.8 % in AC BDV, 9.1 % in permittivity, and 15 % in flash resistance. Moreover, mineral oil based ZnO and TiO2 nanofluid results exhibit remarkable decrement in loss tangent with increased DC resistance property. Finally, it is observed that the influence of TiO2 nano-powder at 0.01 vol% remarkably enhances the electrical and physicochemical properties in different insulating oils compared to ZnO nanofluids. Hence, mineral oil and green insulating based synthetic ester oil (which is based on TiO2 nanofluids) have been considered as a potential candidate to make alternatives to traditional insulating oil for power transformer applications. The findings offer critical insights for the future of transformer insulation systems, guiding industry standards and fostering innovation in material science.
Acknowledgments
The first author is highly indebted to the AICTE-QIP, MHRD, Govt. of India for providing the research fellowship.
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Research ethics: All the Experiments are performed in High Voltage & Insulation Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, West Bengal, India. All data used in the manuscript is original and data used from other authors are properly cited.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.
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Conflict of interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
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- Improving islanded distribution system stability with adaptive decision-making framework
- Sensorless control method of induction motors with new feedback gain matrix and speed adaptive law for low speed range
- An improved CB-DPWM strategy with NP voltage balance and switching loss reduction for 3-L NPC converter
- Single-ended protection scheme for three-terminal hybrid DC transmission system based on refractive coefficients
- Long-distance transmission conductor condition sensing based on distributed fiber optic sensing technology
- Data integrity cyber-attack mitigation using linear quadratic regulator based load frequency control in hybrid power system
- Investigation of DG units influence on 66 kV sub-transmission system network considering region load growth: a case study
- Influence of increasing Integration of Solar photovoltaic on Small Signal and Transient stability of Nigeria Power System
- Implementation of SOC-based power management algorithm in a grid-connected microgrid with hybrid energy storage devices
- Experimental studies on insulating oils for power transformer applications
- Power distribution system restoration based on soft open points and islanding by distributed generations
- Power coordination and control of DC Microgrid with PV and hybrid energy storage system
- An investigation on NGR failure in Indian smart cities while replacing the existing overhead lines by underground cables
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Improving islanded distribution system stability with adaptive decision-making framework
- Sensorless control method of induction motors with new feedback gain matrix and speed adaptive law for low speed range
- An improved CB-DPWM strategy with NP voltage balance and switching loss reduction for 3-L NPC converter
- Single-ended protection scheme for three-terminal hybrid DC transmission system based on refractive coefficients
- Long-distance transmission conductor condition sensing based on distributed fiber optic sensing technology
- Data integrity cyber-attack mitigation using linear quadratic regulator based load frequency control in hybrid power system
- Investigation of DG units influence on 66 kV sub-transmission system network considering region load growth: a case study
- Influence of increasing Integration of Solar photovoltaic on Small Signal and Transient stability of Nigeria Power System
- Implementation of SOC-based power management algorithm in a grid-connected microgrid with hybrid energy storage devices
- Experimental studies on insulating oils for power transformer applications
- Power distribution system restoration based on soft open points and islanding by distributed generations
- Power coordination and control of DC Microgrid with PV and hybrid energy storage system
- An investigation on NGR failure in Indian smart cities while replacing the existing overhead lines by underground cables
