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The mineral oil (MO) in conjunction with paper is the main insulation components in oil-immersed transformers; their insulation properties play a significant role in the safe and stable operation of power transformers. To strengthen the insulation level of ultra-high voltage transformer and to reduce its size and weight, it is imminent to enhance the insulating performance of transformer oil and oil-impregnated cellulose. Recently, a unique novel effort of suspension of nanorods (NRs) into MO has been carried out and the results have exhibited improved insulation characteristics of transformer oil. The Al2O3 NRs with favorable features were prepared in our laboratory to develop transformer oil/paper insulation system with better insulation performance. The transformer oil-based nanofluids (NFs) were prepared with nanorod shape, oleic acid surface modification and 0.8 g/L concentration of NRs. The impregnated pressboards were prepared by impregnating them into dried oil and NF under vacuum beneath 1 kPa at 80 °C for almost 48 h to obtain the oil-impregnated pressboard (OIP) and nanofluid-impregnated pressboard (NIP), respectively. The interface at solid/liquid is considered weak link and is the main reason of oil-filled transformer collapse. The effect of Al2O3 NRs on creeping discharge and flashover traits of oil/pressboard (OP) interface under AC and impulse voltages were studied. Partial discharge and creeping flashover test of OIPs and NIPs were conducted. TSDC and PEA tests were applied to examine the space charge properties of OP interface before and after suspension of Al2O3 NRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformer pressboard impregnated in mineral oil modified by nanoparticles (nanofluid) exhibits substantially higher AC and DC breakdown voltage than that of the pure oil-impregnated pressboard (OP). Charge transport and decay characteristics of both pressboards were measured by pulse electroacoustic technique. It reveals that nanofluid-impregnated pressboard (NP) has a more uniform internal electric field and a higher charge decay rate compared to OP, which is caused by an increase of shallow trap density in NP related to the difference of internal structures, based on the test results of thermally stimulated current and Fourier transformed infra-red spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformer oil-based nanofluids with TiO2 semiconductive nanoparticles exhibit substantially higher AC and positive impulse breakdown voltage levels than that of pure transformer oils. Thermally stimulated current method (TSC) and pulse electroacoustic technique (PEA) have been used to measure charge trap and transportation characteristics of pure oils and nanofluids. It is found that electron shallow trap density and charge decay rate are greatly increased in nanofluids, i.e., fast electrons may be converted to slow electrons by electron trapping and de-trapping in shallow traps of nanofluids, resulting in improved breakdown performance compared to that of pure oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have found that the surface flashover strength of oil-impregnated insulation paper can be improved by the modification of nanoparticles. To reveal the working mechanism, this paper presents an experimental study on the effects of TiO2 nanoparticles on streamer propagation process at the surface of oil-based nanofluid-impregnated insulation paper under lightning impulse voltage. The results show that the surface flashover voltage of nanofluid-impregnated insulation paper is significantly increased by 34.6%. Streamer characteristics including shape and length at the surface of oil-impregnated insulation paper were investigated using the schlieren technique. It is indicated that streamer characteristics are dramatically changed by the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles. For nanofluid-impregnated insulation paper, streamers with more but much shorter branches tend to develop into adjacent nanofluid rather than clinging to the paper compared to that for pure oil-impregnated paper. The reason responsible for the shape dissimilarity lies in the change of electrical force due to the permittivity difference between oil and paper. Furthermore, more shallow traps introduced by nanoparticles contribute to the faster surface charge dissipation of nanofluid-impregnated paper, reducing the charge accumulation at the streamer head and suppressing the electric field distortion. Thus, it is hard for streamers to develop at the surface of nanofluid-impregnated paper, resulting in an increase of surface flashover strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodisperse Fe3O4nanoparticles modified by oleic acid were synthesized by a solvothermal method and dispersed into mineral transformer oil to prepare Fe3O4nanofluids. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis indicated that the obtained nanoparticles are single crystals with an average diameter of 15 nm. The test results indicate that the nanoparticles exhibited good dispersibility in the nanofluids at a wide range of concentrations. Moreover, the positive impulse breakdown strength of nanofluids was greatly improved by 36.6% at the optimum concentration of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents experimental research on creeping discharge characteristics of TiO2 nanofluid-impregnated pressboards (NPs) under sustained ac voltage. It was found that NPs possess higher resistance to creeping discharge than that of pure oil-impregnated pressboard. The results of permittivity and surface charge accumulation and decay characteristics reveal that the modification of nanoparticles can not only make the electric field more uniformly distributed at the interface of nanofluid/pressboard due to a better matching in permittivity but also significantly increase the surface charge decay rate via a trapping and detrapping process in shallower traps. Thus, the creeping discharge characteristics of NPs are greatly improved by the modification of TiO2 nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent experiments have shown that some nanoparticles can influence the breakdown strength of transformer oil under lightning impulse voltage. To reveal the working mechanism, this paper presents an experimental study on the effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the impulse breakdown strength and prebreakdown streamer propagation process in transformer oil-based nanofluid under both positive and negative lightning impulse voltage. The test results verify that the modification of nanoparticles on breakdown strength of transformer oil has a distinct polar effect: positive breakdown voltage of nanofluid is increased by up to 30.8%, whereas the negative one is decreased by 6.8%. Streamer shape, propagation length and velocity in both pure oil and nanofluid were investigated using the shadowgraph technique. It is revealed that the propagation characteristics of positive and negative streamers in nanofluid are markedly affected by the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles. The positive streamers in nanofluid form a bush-like structure with thicker and denser branches, developing much slower than tree-like streamers in pure oil. While negative streamers in nanofluid have a tree-like shape with much longer branches, propagating faster than the original bush-like streamer in pure oil. These differences in streamer propagation characteristics and breakdown strength in pure oil and nanofluid are closely related to the change of space charge distribution caused by shallow trap in nanofluid. More negative charges are formed through capturing fast electrons into slow electrons in shallow traps induced by the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles, which change the local electric field in front of the streamer tip. Thus, streamer propagation process in nanofluid is dramatically modified, leading to the change in breakdown strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve dielectric performance of natural esters, TiO2 semiconductive nanoparticles were added to obtain an ester-based nanofluid. AC, lightning impulse voltage and partial discharge tests were applied to the natural ester and the ester-based nanofluid to check their dielectric performances. It was found that TiO2 nanoparticles can not only enhance AC breakdown voltage of the ester based nanofluid by a factor of 1.3 but also improve the partial discharge properties of the ester based nanofluid compared to that of the natural ester. Pulse electroacoustic (PEA) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) techniques were applied to investigate charge transport and trap characteristic in natural ester and ester-based nanofluid. It reveals that TiO2 nanoparticles can accelerate the charge dissipation rate and uniform the electric field and increase the shallow trap density in the ester-based nanofluid. It is proposed that electron trapping and de-trapping processes in the shallow traps could be one of the main charge transport processes in the ester based nanofluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Transformer oil-based nanofluids (NFs) with TiO2 semiconductive nanoparticles (SNFs) exhibit substantially higher AC breakdown voltage than that of pure transformer oils at variable relative humidity from 20% to 80%. Charge accumulation and decay characteristics of pure oils and SNFs were measured by the pulse electroacoustic technique (PEA). It reveals that SNFs have more uniform internal electric fields and higher charge decay rate compared to pure oils under high relative humidity. It is confirmed by the test results of electrophoresis and thermally stimulated current (TSC) that the nanoparticles adsorb water molecules at the nanoparticle–oil interface, giving rise to the higher shallow trap density and resulting in better charge transport in SNFs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

TiO2 nanoparticles can improve the electrical performance of oil paper insulation. In this study, 10 nm TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared and dispersed into transformer oil, and then immerse pressboards in it to obtain nanofluid impregnated pressboards (NP). Its thermal aging was accelerated together with the reference sample at 130°C for 36 days. Analyzing the acid value in the oil, polymerization degree, surface topography, AC breakdown strength, surface flashover characteristics and surface potential decay characteristics. It was observed that TiO2 nanoparticles can reduce the acid value and improve AC breakdown strength of oil. However, the degree of polymerization and surface appearance of NP and oil impregnated pressboards (OP) during thermal aging did not differ significantly. During the aging process, the energy level of pressboard surface traps shifted first towards the shallow and then gradually towards the deep. During all the aging stages, the surface flashover voltage of NP was always higher or close to that of OP. The mechanism of TiO2 nanoparticles improving the breakdown and surface flashover characteristics of oil–paper insulation during thermal aging is discussed from the perspective of water molecules and aging by‐products adsorption and introduction of shallow traps by nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 nanoparticle with good dispersibility and stability in transformer oil was prepared and used to modify insulating property of aged oil. It was found that space charge decay rate in the modified aged oil can be significantly enhanced to 1.57 times of that in the aged oil at first 8 s after polarization voltage was removed. The results of trap characteristics reveal that the modification of nanoparticle can not only greatly lower the shallow trap energy level in the aged oil but also increase the trap density, resulting in improved charge transportation via trapping and de-trapping process in shallower traps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, TiO2 semiconductive nanoparticles with a large relaxation time constant is added into transformer oil to form semiconductive nanofluids (SNFs), with the aim of enhancing insulating characteristics. ac, dc and lightning impulse breakdown voltage and partial discharge (PD) characteristics of oil samples before and after modification were measured according to ASTM standard methods. It was found that SNFs have ac, dc and lightning impulse breakdown voltage up to 1.2 times compared with pure oil. Meanwhile, the partial discharge resistance of SNFs was also dramatically improved. Charge trap and transportation characteristics of both samples have been measured by thermally stimulated current method (TSC) and pulse electroacoustic technique (PEA). It was found that electron shallow trap density and charge decay rate are greatly increased in semiconductive nanoparticles modified transformer oil. It is proposed that electron trapping and de-trapping processes in the shallow traps could be one of the main charge transport processes in dielectric liquids. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Transformer oil-based nanofluid-impregnated pressboard (NIP) with TiO 2 nanoparticles has been previously shown to exhibit substantially higher AC breakdown strength than that of pure oil-impregnated pressboard (OIP). In this study, OIP and NIP with TiO 2 nanoparticles were prepared and experiments on DC breakdown strength of were performed. It was found that NIP possesses higher resistance to DC breakdown strength than that of OIP. To reveal the working mechanism, a pulsed electro acoustic (PEA) device was used to measure the space charge accumulation and dissipation characteristics in OIP and NIP. The results show that the density of deep level traps in NIP is visibly reduced owing to the addition of TiO 2 nanoparticles and homopolar space charge accumulation on both sides of NIP is suppressed. Moreover, the charges injected from electrodes into NIP under DC voltage is also restrained owing to the increase of the Schottky potential barrier. Thus, the DC breakdown performance of NIP is considerably improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]