Effects of magnetite and titania nanoparticles on properties of transformer insulating oil

Abstract

Transformer oil-based nanofluids have become popular research topic due to their enhanced dielectric and thermal properties. Considering the sustainability aspects of extending the life of transformer oil, it is imperative to conduct research on the effect of transformer oil with nanofillers. In the present work, the influence of conducting magnetite (Fe3O4), semiconducting titania (TiO2) nanoparticles and combination of Fe3O4 and TiO2 nanoparticles (multi-nanoparticle) on AC breakdown voltage are investigated for various concentrations. Nanofluid prepared using multi-nanoparticle shows enhanced AC breakdown voltage (BDV) of transformer oil compared with unfilled oil. Enhancement in BDV of 22% is observed with combination of 0.0025 wt% Fe3O4 and 0.0075 wt% TiO2. In addition, the effect of titania nanoparticles dispersed into service-aged transformer oil with a weight percentage of 0.01% is investigated. Comparative study of breakdown strength and viscosity of nanofluid with unfilled oil is performed. Service-aged oil sample shows increased BDV of 15% with TiO2 nanoparticles. The degradation in service-aged transformer oil is analyzed using UV–vis and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The characteristics of oil samples are analyzed using fluorescence spectroscopy.

Modification of insulating oils and oil-based titanium dioxide nanofluids for transformers: a review

“…5, the representative characterization techniques for TiO 2 NPs and oil-based TiO 2 NFs are demonstrated. 20,34,43–47…”

“…The three above-mentioned studies reported in the literature investigated accelerated aging NFs. In addition, Pillai et al 46 prepared 0.01 wt% TiO 2 NFs using an oil which had been naturally aged for 5 years as the base oil. In comparison to the aged base oil, the AC BDV of NFs increased by 15%.…”

“…Trends in viscosity fluctuations with temperature are explored and it was confirmed that the viscosity decreases with the increase in temperature. 46,82,109 This was attributable to an increase in intermolecular distance as the temperature increased. At different temperatures, the pattern of viscosity change of oils with and without the addition of NPs was examined.…”