Oxidation stability of natural ester modified by means of fullerene nanoparticles

Abstract

Increasing environmental demands influence the requirements for devices and materials used in the power industry. One example is a power transformer and an electro-insulating liquid used in it. In order to meet these requirements, electro-insulating liquids should be characterized by, inter alia, high biodegradability and good fire properties. One of such liquids is natural ester. However, its oxidation stability is low in comparison to mineral oil and demands improvement, which can be achieved by the addition of an antioxidant. The authors of this work used fullerene nanoparticles for that purpose. Pure natural ester samples were prepared, and samples with two concentrations of fullerene, 250 mg/L and 500 mg/L in natural ester. All these samples were aged in a thermal oxidation process. Thereafter, the aging properties of all the samples were compared to assess the oxidation stability of modified liquids. Moreover, the electrical properties of prepared insulating liquids were investigated to assess if fullerene deteriorates these properties after aging process. Based on the obtained results, it was proved that the aging process slowed down in the case of both fullerene concentrations in ester. The acid number of natural ester modified using fullerene was lower than in the case of pure liquid.