Enhancing AC Breakdown Strength of Iron-Contaminated Transformer Oil Using TiO2 Nanoparticles: Experimental Evaluation and Weibull Analysis
Keywords:
Transformer oil, TiO2 Nanoparticles, Iron particles, AC Breakdown voltage testingAbstract
This study investigates the impact of iron particle contamination on the AC breakdown voltage (BDV) of transformer oil and evaluates the effectiveness of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in enhancing its dielectric strength. Four oil samples were prepared according to ASTM D877: conventional transformer oil, oil with 0.01% TiO2 nanoparticles, iron-contaminated oil, and contaminated oil enhanced with TiO2. BDV data were further analyzed using the two-parameter Weibull distribution to assess reliability and failure probability. The experimental results indicate that adding TiO2 increases the BDV by 11.99% (from 74.20 kV to 83.10 kV). In contrast, iron contamination significantly reduces the BDV by 51.54% (down to 35.47 kV). However, incorporating TiO2 into iron-contaminated oil improves the BDV by 36.53% (47.09 kV), demonstrating its capability to mitigate the detrimental effects of metallic impurities. The Weibull analysis shows that the TiO2-enhanced samples exhibit the highest shape and scale parameters, indicating superior insulation consistency and higher breakdown endurance. All samples achieved p-values greater than 0.05, confirming the suitability of the Weibull distribution and the statistical reliability of the BDV measurements. In conclusion, TiO2 nanoparticles effectively improve both the dielectric performance and the reliability of transformer oil under normal and iron-contaminated conditions, offering a promising approach to enhancing insulation stability and extending the operational lifespan of power transformer systems.
References
Jiosseu, J. L., Mengounou, G. M., Nkouetcha, E. T., and Imano, A. M. (2023). Effect of ageing of monoesters and mineral oil on the propagation of creeping discharges, Applied Journal of Electrostatics, vol. 123, pp. 1-13.
Dan, M., Hao, J., Liao, R., Cheng, L., Zhang, J. and Li, F. (2019). Accumulation behaviors of different particles and effects on the breakdown properties of mineral oil under DC voltage, Applied Journal of Energies, vol. 12(12), pp. 1-15.
Saaidon, S., Chen, G. and Golosnoy, I. (2017). Influence of temperature variation of oil contamination on electrical performance of power transformer, Applied Conf. IEEE International Conference on Dielectric Liquids (ICDL), Manchester, United Kingdom, pp. 1-5.
Xia, S., Pan, C., Yao, Y., Zheng, Z., Qin, S., Tang, J. and Zhu, S. (2023). Bridging characteristics of cellulosic particles in flowing transformer oil, Applied IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, vol. 30(3), pp. 1056–1065.
Wang, K., Wang, F., Li, J., Zhao, Q., Wen, G. and Zhang, T. (2018). Effect of metal particles on the electrical properties of mineral and natural ester oils, Applied IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, vol. 25(5), pp. 1621–1627.
CIGRE, (2000). effect of particles on transformer dielectric strength, Working Group 17 of Study Committee 12, pp. 6–42.
Mansour, D. E. A., Shaalan, E. M., Ward, S. A., Dein, A. Z. El., Karaman, H. S. and Ahmed, H. M. (2019). Multiple nanoparticles for improvement of thermal and dielectric properties of oil nanofluids, Applied IET Science, Measurement & Technology, vol. 13(7), pp. 968–974.
Suriyasakulpong, C. and Muangpratoom, P. (2024). Effect of span 80 surfactant in transformer oil based TiO2 nanofluids on the electrical properties of lightning impulse voltage, Applied Conf. International Electrical Engineering Congress (iEECON), Pattaya Chonburi, Thailand, pp. 1–4.
IEC 60296. (2020). Fluids for electrotechnical applications – Mineral insulating oils for electrical equipment. International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Geneva, Switzerland.
Amin, N. A. M., Ishak, M. T. and Suhaimi, N. S. (2022). Cellulose Particles’ Effect on the Electrical Field Distribution Between Palm Oil and Mineral Oil Insulation Systems, Applied IEEE International Conference on Power and Energy (PECon), Langkawi Kedah, Malaysia, pp. 464–468.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Waltham, MA, USA. (2006). URL: https://www.thermofisher.com, access on 25/10/2025
Huang, M., Li, S., Zhang, L., Yao, Y., Lv, Y., Chen, Xi. and Pang, W. (2022). Improvement of breakdown and flashover properties against thermal aging of oil paper insulation through addition of TiO2 nanoparticles, Applied IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, vol. 17(7), pp. 821–831.
Inframat Advanced Materials LLC, Company information, 151 Progress Dr, Manchester, CT, USA. http://www.advanced materials.us, access on 25/10/2025
Al-Yami, A. S., Vikrant, W., Abrar, A. S., and Hussain, A. B. (2018). Emulsifiers used in designing emulsion based drilling fluids. Journal of Chemistry, vol. 7(4), pp. 1–20.
Pant, A., Jha, K. and Singh, M. (2019). Role of excipient’s HLB values in microemulsion system, Applied IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences, vol. 14(2), pp. 1–6.
Sima, W., Shi, J., Yang, Q., Huang, S., and Cao, X. (2015). Effects of conductivity and permittivity of nanoparticle on transformer oil insulation performance: experiment and theory, Applied IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, vol. 22(1), pp. 380–390.
Atiya, E. G., Mansour, D. E. A., Khattab, R. M., and Azmy, A. M. (2015). Dispersion behavior and breakdown strength of transformer oil filled with TiO2 nanoparticles, Applied IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, vol. 22(5), pp. 2463–2472.
Saufi, M. A. and Mamat, H. (2022). Comparison of dispersion techniques of graphene nanoparticles in polyester oil, Applied Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 66(5), pp. 2747–2751.
ASTM D877-02. (2002). Standard Test Method for Dielectric Breakdown Voltage of Insulating Liquids Using Disk Electrodes.
Cheng, L., Jiang, Y., Dan, M., Wen, H., Li, Y., Qin, W., and Hao, J. (2020). Effects of fiber and copper particles on conductivity and breakdown characteristics of natural ester and mineral oil under DC voltage, Applied Energies, vol. 13(7), pp. 1–16.
Hao, J., Liao, R., Dan, M., Li, Y., Li, J., and Liao, Q. (2017). Comparative study on the dynamic migration of cellulose particles and its effect on the conductivity in natural ester and mineral oil under DC electrical field, Applied IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, vol. 11(9), pp. 2375–2383.
Nor, S. F. M., Azis, N., Jasni, J., Ab Kadir, M. Z. A., Yunus, R., and Yaakub, Z. (2017). Investigation on the electrical properties of palm oil and coconut oil based TiO2 nanofluids, Applied IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, vol. 24(6), pp. 3432–3442.
Fernández, I., Valiente, R., Ortiz, F., Renedo, C. J., and Ortiz, A. (2020). Effect of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles on the performance of dielectric nanofluids based on vegetable esters during their aging, Applied Nanomaterials, vol. 10(4), pp. 1–18.
Zhang, J., Li, J., Wang, Y., Li, Y., and Li, X. (2018). Breakdown voltage of transformer oil contaminated with iron particles at pulsating DC voltage, Applied Electric Power Components and Systems, vol. 46(11–12), pp. 1321–1329.
Yao, Y., Su, Z., Pan, C., Xia, S., Yu, M., and Tang, J. (2023). Distributed characteristics of free metallic particles in flowing transformer oil under DC and AC voltages, Applied IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, vol. 30(4), pp. 1441–1450.
Jin, H. (2015). Dielectric Strength and Thermal Conductivity of Mineral Oil based Nanofluids, Ph.D. dissertation, Delft University of Technology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Safari, M. A. M., Masseran, N., Majid, M. H. A., and Tajuddin, R. R. M. (2025). Robust estimation of the three-parameter Weibull distribution for addressing outliers in reliability analysis, Applied Scientific Reports, vol.15(1), pp. 1–14.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Engineering and Innovative Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
