article · IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation
Power transformer oil deteriorates over prolonged operation due to the accumulation of aging byproducts such as moisture and acid. To address this issue, laboratory testing evaluated whether adding titanium dioxide nanofillers could restore the insulating properties of degraded oil for potential reuse. Transformer oil was subjected to accelerated thermal aging at 120 degrees Celsius, where each day of heating simulated one operational year. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were directly mixed and dispersed into the aged oil across various concentrations. Subsequent measurements demonstrated that the resulting nanofluids achieved significant improvements in breakdown voltage compared to pure aged oil, alongside moderate enhancements in dielectric dissipation factor and conductivity. The nanoparticles reduce the harmful influence of moisture by adsorbing water species and generating hydroxyl groups on their surfaces, providing a mechanism for rejuvenating degraded transformer fluid.
High-voltage power transformers depend on insulating oil to operate reliably, but fluid degrades over time as moisture and acidity build up. Demonstrating that titanium dioxide nanoparticles can restore critical dielectric properties presents an opportunity to rehabilitate degraded oil, potentially extending the operational life of transformer fluids and improving maintenance strategies across high-voltage electrical infrastructure.
This process could enable the recycling and reconditioning of degraded insulating oil for electrical power utilities and transformer maintenance operators. By restoring breakdown voltage through direct nanoparticle dispersion, it targets transformer oil life extension. However, the work represents early-stage laboratory research based on accelerated thermal aging tests, meaning substantial testing under operational grid conditions is still required before commercial adoption.
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After several operating years of power transformers, the oil is aged resulting in deterioration in oil properties. This deterioration is attributed to the effect of aging byproducts represented by acidity and moisture content. From this view point, this study aims to mitigate the impact of aging byproducts and enhance the aged oil properties with the aid of nanofillers to be reused in the transformer. To simulate actual operating period of the transformer, accelerated aging test is carried out in the laboratory. This test mainly depends on heating the oil in an oven at 120 °C for different number of days. Through these conditions, one day in the oven is considered to simulate one year in the field. Aged oil-based nanofluids are obtained through direct mixing and dispersion of nanoparticles with the aged oil. Titanium oxide is selected as the filled nanoparticles through this study. After the preparation, the samples of aged oil and aged oil-based nanofluids are tested. Different concentrations of nanoparticles are considered. The breakdown voltage (BDV) for the prepared nanofluids is measured and compared to that of pure aged oil. Also, dielectric constant, dielectric dissipation factor (DDF) and conductivity have been measured. Nanofluids exhibited significant enhancement regarding BDV. Also, DDF and conductivity enhanced to some extent. With the aid of acidity, moisture content and particle size measurements, the physical mechanisms behind the obtained enhancement have been discussed considering the effect of aging, the role of nanofiller and the effect of weight fraction. It is found that nanoparticles alleviate the effect of moisture through adsorbing moisture species and forming hydroxyl groups around the surface of nanoparticles.
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DOI: 10.1109/tdei.2017.006586
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