Abstract
Due to environmental concerns and increased energy demand, natural esters are among the alternatives to mineral oils in transformers. This study examines the electrical behavior of natural ester-based ZnO nanofluids at different concentrations in the range of 0.05−0.4 g/L. AC breakdown voltages are measured in a horizontally positioned sphere−sphere electrode system according to IEC 60156 specifications. The measurement data are analyzed using Weibull and normal distribution functions. Breakdown voltages with 1%, 10% and 50% probability are also estimated, these probabilities being of great interest for the design of power electrical components. Experimental results show that AC breakdown voltage increases with the concentration of ZnO nanoparticles, except for the concentration of 0.05 and 0.4 g/L of ZnO. Moreover, breakdown voltages at 1% and 10% probability increase by 22.7% and 13.2% when adding 0.1 g/L ZnO to natural ester, respectively.