In high-voltage transformers, liquid insulation serves
as both an insulator and a cooling agent. For many
decades, transformer oil has been the traditional
choice for this purpose. Despite its high quality insulating properties, mineral oil poses several environmental
drawbacks. Researchers are exploring alternative insulating fluids for high-voltage applications, considering
both environmental impact and insulating properties.
With the increasing demands for better electro, physical and chemical properties of vegetable insulating oils
used in high-voltage power transformers, enhancing
these oils with nanoparticles has become a prominent
area of research. The present study investigates groundnut oil (GO) and mustard oil (MO) as base fluids for
insulation oil by incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. It analyses the effect of varying concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles on the electro-physical and
chemical properties of the oils. The analysis reveals
several significant enhancements in the properties of
the oils when incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles.
The result shows that the enhancement of the dielectric
strength of the oil can withstand electrical stress without breaking down. Further, the impulse breakdown
voltage, which evaluates the oil’s ability to withstand
high-voltage pulses, has significantly improved. The
study observed a decrease in dissipation factors, representing reduced energy losses as heat within the oil,
and a decrease in viscosities at high temperatures, implying improved fluidity and efficiency in high-temperature
conditions. The interfacial tension improves, indicating
better interfacial tension between the oil and water
molecules. The findings suggest that vegetable oil-based
nanofluids, with finer characteristics, have a high potential to replace traditional mineral oils.