Thermal Behavior of Power Transformers Filled With Waste Vegetable Oil-Based Biodiesel Under Dynamic Load

Petroleum-based oils are widely used as electrically insulating materials in high voltage power transformers for dissipating high generated heat flux and maintaining the temperature below critical values. The operating temperature of a transformer dominantly governs its aging rate. In the present research, a renewable coolant as a versatile substitution for the petroleum-based oils was investigated to be employed in the cooling of transformers. The studied coolant is a vegetable-based oil extracted from the waste cooking oils. A numerical model was developed to follow the instantaneous changes in the load profile and ambient temperature and predict the instantaneous hotspot temperature values in the transformer under dynamic load. Then, this thermal model was used to explore the capability of the studied vegetable oil in the cooling of transformers compared with conventional transformer oil. The realistic ambient temperature and loading profile, as well as thermal properties of oils and characteristics of a transformer, were applied as the model’s inputs. The aging rate of the transformer in the presence of vegetable oil was also compared with the conventional transformer oil. The results indicate a better cooling performance for the vegetable-based oil, where a hotspot temperature reduction of 3 °C was observed in comparison to the petroleum-based oil. Also, the model predicts a significantly longer life for the insulating system of the transformer when the proposed vegetable-based oil is employed. The results of this research suggest a sustainable way of reusing the waste of a renewable resource as an alternative insulating liquid for the cooling of high heat flux electric/electronic devices.