Nanodielectric Fluids for Power Transformer Cooling and Insulation: A Review

Heat dissipation is one of the many problems that concerns all the electrical and electronic industries alike. On the other hand, with the ever-increasing demand for electrical energy the need for higher-rating power transformers (PTs) and their insulation has increased consistently over the years. The reliability of the PTs lies solely on the insulation inside them. With the conventional transformer oil and even with its biodegradable replacements, PTs became very bulky. A one-stop solution to deal with bulkiness, heat dissipation, and electrical insulation is the recently innovated nanodielectric fluids. Nanodielectric fluid (NDF) is a nanofluid (NF) whose base fluid has dielectric properties. The extensive research happening in this field confirms that the nanodielectric fluids have enhanced thermal as well as dielectric properties with which the bulkiness of the PTs can be decreased. A critical review of the NDFs investigated for their potential replacement of traditional transformer oil is presented in this paper. This paper presents the latest developments on this topic, identifies technical gaps, and can be used as a useful resource and framework for future research.