Effect of Reduced Graphene Oxide modified with Citric Acid dispersed in Pogamia Oil as a Potential Insulating Fluid in Power Transformer

Power transmission and distribution heavily rely on transformers. The primary insulator that affects how effectively a power transformer functions is liquid dielectrics. Powerful electrical insulator transformer oil, commonly known as Mineral Oil (MO), retains its stability at extreme temperatures. This research focuses on a native to India’s non-edible natural ester known as Pongamia Pinnata Oil or Pongamia Oil (PO). Due to the presence of glycerol in oil, the PO naturally has low dielectric dissipation constant but high dielectric breakdown voltage and flash/fire points. The work’s major objective is to remove the catalytic glycerol that is present in the PO utilizing a two-stage esterification process that uses acid and base catalysts while keeping a high molar ratio of oil to alcohol that is larger than the stochiometric ratio (1:3). On the other hand, to improve the dielectric characteristics of the modified PO known as Pongamia Oil Methyl Ester, conductive nanoparticles like Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) are employed as nanoparticles (POME). A catalytic heterogeneous catalyst called citric acid (CA), which lessens electrostatic repulsion and improves the floating capacities of the nanocarriers in POME, is coated on the RGO. The measurement conducted in accordance with ASTM, IEC, and ISO standards revealed an improvement in the performance of the dielectric characteristics. As a result, the suggested POME combined with CA-coated RGO improves the oil’s dielectric characteristics while also acting as a charge trapper to lower the space charge in the oil and lessen risks.