Investigations on eco friendly insulating fluids from rapeseed and pongamia pinnata oils for power transformer applications

Abstract

Transformer mineral oil which is normally hydrocarbon based is non- biodegradable and pollutes the environment in all aspects. Though vegetable oils are eco-friendly in nature and potentially could be used in transformers as a replacement for the mineral oil, there usage is restricted because of their oxidative instability. The present work focuses on using rapeseed oil and pongamia (pongamia pinnata) oil as effective alternatives for the traditional mineral oil in power transformer. The oxidative stability of the rapeseed oil and pongamia oil is increased by using combinations of the natural and synthetic anti-oxidants as additives. The parameters like breakdown voltage, viscosity, flash point, fire point are measured for the rapeseed oil and pongamia oil with and without the additives as per IEC and ASTM standards. The results shown encouraging changes in the parameter values and ensures the use of the oils as a potential alternative insulation in power transformers.