Abstract
The mineral oil or synthetic oil in conjunction with paper is mainly being applied as dielectric medium in many of the high voltage apparatus. However, the advent of high voltage levels such high voltage alternating current (HVAC) and high voltage direct current (HVDC) has prompted researchers to direct their focus onto an insulation system which can bear the rising high voltage levels. The modern insulating liquid material development is guided by various factors such as high electrical insulation requirements and other safety and economic considerations. Therefore transformer manufacturer companies have to design transformers with these new specific requirements. The transformer oil-based nanofluids with improved dielectric and thermal properties have the potential to replace mineral oil base products in the market place. They are favorable because they function more superior than mineral oil and they contribute definite insulating and thermal gains. This paper reviews recent status of nanofluids use as transformer oils. The nanofluids used as transformer oils are presented and their advantages are described in comparison with mineral oil. The multiple experimental works carried out by different researchers are described, providing an overview of the current research conducted on nanofluids. In addition scope and challenges being confronted in this area of research are clearly presented.
Highlights
The development of future high voltage network and smart grid has elevated high demands on the reliability and performance of insulating materials used in electric power system to deal with more dynamic and volatile operating conditions [1]
The available transformer failure statistics acknowledge that the typical service life of transformers which failed because of insulation problems is 17.8 years, which is almost half of the expected life of 35 to 40 years [3], and 75% of high voltage transformers collapse was originated by dielectric insulation issues [4]
Even though high voltage alternating current (HVAC) has been used around the world since the 1880s whereas high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems were evolved in the 1950s because of their potential to cope with many problems relevant to the interconnection with HVAC power system for long distances [49], a lot of HVDC transmission systems are in use and considered as vital part of electric networks around the globe [50]
Summary
The development of future high voltage network and smart grid has elevated high demands on the reliability and performance of insulating materials used in electric power system to deal with more dynamic and volatile operating conditions [1]. Even though HVAC has been used around the world since the 1880s whereas HVDC transmission systems were evolved in the 1950s because of their potential to cope with many problems (dynamic and steady state issues) relevant to the interconnection with HVAC power system for long distances [49], a lot of HVDC transmission systems are in use and considered as vital part of electric networks around the globe [50] Both AC and DC voltage levels are expected to rise further to meet the ever increasing demand of electric power worldwide. It is supposed to be associated with the smaller size of the nanoparticles which subsequently leads to the existence of large interfacial area—an interaction zone between the nanoparticle and the oil In this regard, nanofluids are expected to have distinct dielectric characteristics which highly differ from previous traditional microfluids. It gives an overview of the advantages, disadvantages, and potential application of transformer oil-based nanofluids
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