Effect of Particles on the AC Breakdown Voltage of Palm Oil and Coconut Oil

Abstract

Under current scenario of regulation on the safety and environment, biodegradable oils are gaining interest as dielectric insulating fluid in transformers. There are different types of biodegradable oils that are currently examined and among them are Palm Oil (PO) and Coconut Oil (CO). It is important to carry out extensive examination on these oils at laboratory level since the failure in-service could be costly. Among the important studies are the AC breakdown strength properties under the influence of particles. In this paper, a study is carried out to examine the influence of particles on the AC breakdown voltage of POand CO. The PO used in this study is Refined Bleached and Deodorized (RBDPO) Olein type. Two types of particles are used for the investigations which are cellulose and copper particles.Four different weights of particles are added on each of the samples and tested with the AC breakdown tester at a gap distance of 1 mm using VDE electrodes. It was found that copper particles have more significant effect on the AC breakdown strength of RBDPO and CO than cellulose particles.