Assessment of Calabash Seed Oil as Biobased Insulating Fluid for Power Transformers

Abstract

The research on the production of transformer oil from biodegradable oil is the focus of this work. Biobased transformer oil was produced from calabash seed oil. The oil was extracted from the seed, then was purified using a modified Dijkstra and Opstal purification method. After the produced purified oil was degummed. The oil charac¬teristics obtained are: the density - 0.85 g/cm3, boiling point 126°C, specific gravity 0.813, flash point 164°C, cloud point 10°C, pour point 4°C, pH 5.23, saponification value 157 mg KOH/g oil, peroxide value 7.22 meq/g oil, iodine value 52.23 g 100/g oil, free fatty acids 0.072 mg KOH/g oil, acid value 0.142 mg KOH/g oil, kinematic viscosity 8.8 cst, and the dielectric strength 24 kV. The results obtained for the purified calabash oil meet the requirements of ASTM Standards. It was concluded that the purified calabash seed oil can be used in place of the conventional transformer oil because it is easily biodegradable and safe for the environment due to its low acid content.