Analysis of electric field in liquid dielectric on addition of nanoparticles

Abstract

The application of nanofluids (NFs) in power apparatus is increasing in the recent years because of its higher dielectric strength, higher thermal conductivity, lower electrical conductivity and lower dissipation factor. The reason for increase in the dielectric strength of the NFs over base oil is due to the electron scavenging by the nanoparticles (NPs) in the presence of an applied electric field. This process leads to changes in the electric field patterns. The main focus of this work is to model the electric field patterns in the presence of NPs of three types- conducting, semiconducting and insulating in the liquid dielectric. The simulation study is done in order to understand the phenomenon behind the electric field distribution in mineral oil (MO) on addition of the different types of NPs, using COMSOL Multiphysics tool. The reason behind the enhanced electrical properties can be understood from the field alteration by the nanoparticle. The enhancement in the electrical properties is required to achieve the characteristic of an ideal insulation. The field distribution in the presence of NPs either stress the liquid insulation around the NP or stress the NP itself.