Investigation of electrical properties of developed indigenous natural ester liquid used as alternate to transformer insulation

Abstract

The performance of every electrical system depends on the different electrical devices especially transformers. Petroleum-based mineral oil is widely used for insulation and cooling purpose. The disadvantage of mineral oil is its low biodegradability and is a major threat to the ecosystem due to its poor oxidative stability. To remedy the drawbacks, focus on alternative fluids that can replace traditional mineral oil. Alternative liquids such as natural esters are used which do not panic the ecosystem. With the support of additives in natural esters liquids, the productivity of the oil can be increased, paving the path for the green conversion of liquids in high voltage applications. The purpose of this article is to analyze the electrical properties of the newly developed indigenous oil. The inhibited oil was insulating oil to which antioxidants were added such as 2,6-ditertiary-butylparacresol, butylated hydroxyl anisole and tertiary butyl hydro qunine to slow down the oxidation rate and to check the electrical properties. This article discusses the electrical properties of mineral oil, developed indigenous oil with and without antioxidants as per IEC62770 standards. A 1.1 kVA transformer was then designed in a laboratory for load tests and Indigenous oil performance under load was evaluated.