A Simulation Study on Electrical and Thermal Properties of Nanofluids Based Mineral Oils for Potential Transformer Applications

The present report demonstrates the efficacy and capabilities of transformer oil due to their growing demand for the production of good insulation. In this work, we have enhanced the electrical and thermal properties of nanofluid (NF)-based mineral oils using the Quickfield simulation in the presence of the different types of nanoparticles (NPs), namely, magnesium oxide (MgO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and iron oxide (Fe3O4), which are classified based on their conductivity. Different concentrations of NPs of 1%, 5%, and 10% have been used to prepare the NFs. The test cell model and the dummy model of a three-phase transformer have been designed to investigate the electrical and thermal properties of the NFs. It is found that the addition of NPs enhanced both the electrical and thermal properties of the fluid. The voltage at the center of the electrodes decreased by 46% in the case of TiO2 at the highest percentage concentration (10%) of NPs, while for the same concentration of MgO and Fe3O4, it is reduced by 18% and 24%, respectively, whereas the temperature of the oil decreased by approximately 20%, for all NFs at the highest concentration (10%). It is envisaged that the method used can be very useful in determining the properties of NPs before testing them in real life.