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Imran Sutan Chairul1, Norazhar Abu Bakar2, Md Nazri Othman3, Sharin Ab Ghani4, Nur Hakimah
Ab Aziz5
1,2,3,4,5
High Voltage Engineering Research Laboratory, Centre for Robotics and Industrial Automation, Fakulti Kejuruteraan Elektrik,
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia
Corresponding Author:
Norazhar Abu Bakar,
High Voltage Engineering Research Laboratory, Centre for Robotics and Industrial Automation,
Fakulti Kejuruteraan Elektrik, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka,
Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia.
Email: norazhar@utem.edu.my
1. INTRODUCTION
Mineral insulating (MI) oils can cause environmental problems such as soil and water pollution in
the event of a spillage [1]. This has motivated researchers to develop natural ester insulating (NEI) oils since
the early 1990s as well as the development of the IEEE Guide for Acceptance and Maintenance of Natural
Ester Fluids in Transformers (IEEE C57.147) in 2008 [2], which includes includes the specifications for the
physical, chemical, and electrical properties of natural ester fluids for transformers. The colour rating is one
of the physical properties of NEI oils specified in the standard. The colour rating of the NEI oil should be less
than or equal to 1.0, and the oil should be clear and free from sediment and suspended matter. The low colour
rating and clear appearance of the oil is essential so that inspections can be easily carried out on the oil-
immersed transformer.
In formulating transformer dielectric liquids from crude vegetable oils, the oils are discoloured
through a bleaching process. In contrast, in-service transformer dielectric liquids are discoloured through a
2. RESEARCH METHOD
Figure 1 shows the methodology adopted in this study. The waste cooking oil (WCO) was first
neutralized with caustic soda (normality: 2.0 N) to produce NWCO. Next, the NWCO was discoloured by the
reclamation process to produce the reclaimed neutralized waste cooking oil (RNWCO). The properties of the
RNWCO were assessed according to the IEC 62770 and IEEE C57.147 standards.
Start
NO
< 200 ppm
YES
End
After 24 h, it was observed that there were layers of liquid formed in the beaker, where the top layer
was the NWCO. The top layer was collected and then washed using hot water (> 90 °C) to remove soap
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4 ISSN: 2302-9285
residue. The washing process was repeated several times. Next, the NWCO were heated at 110 °C for 10 min
to reduce its water content and the NWCO was then cooled down to room temperature.
2.4. Physical, chemical, and electrical property measurements of the RNWCO samples
The colour of each RNWCO sample was observed and compared against the colour scale provided
in the ASTM D1500 standard. The acidity of the RNWCO samples was measured based on the amount of
potassium hydroxide (KOH) in milligrams (mg) required to neutralize hydrogen ions (H +) in 1 g of oil
sample. The acidity was measured using a compact titrator (Model: 848 Titrino plus, Metrohm AG,
Switzerland) according to the ASTM D974 standard. The relative density, flash point, and viscosity of the
selected RNWCO sample were measured in an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory according to the ISO
12185, ISO 2719, and ASTM D7042 standards, respectively. The water content of the selected RNWCO
sample was determined via oxidation of sulphur dioxide by iodine in methanolic hydroxide solution using
Karl Fischer coulometer (Model: 899, Metrohm AG, Switzerland) according to the ASTM D1533 standard.
The breakdown voltage of the selected RNWCO sample was measured using a portable dielectric strength oil
tester (Model: OTS60PB, Megger Ltd., UK) according to the ASTM D1816 standard. Two Verband der
Elektrotechnik (VDE) electrodes (caps: semi-spherical, gap distance: 1.0 mm) were used for the breakdown
voltage measurements. The voltage was increased gradually at a rate of 0.5 kV/s until breakdown occurred.
The minimum volume of each oil sample was 350 mL. The breakdown voltage is sensitive to the presence of
impurities (i.e. moisture, particles, air, and gas bubbles) in the transformer dielcectric liquid. For this reason,
moisture removal treatment was carried out by flowing nitrogen gas [20] through the selected RNWCO
sample for 30 min before the breakdown voltage measurements.
Figure 3. Colour scale used to assess the colour of dielectric liquids according to the ASTM D1500 standard
WCO
NWCO
Oil sample
RNWCO-1
RNWCO-2
RNWCO-3
Figure 4. Comparison of the colour ratings of the WCO, NWCO, and RNWCO samples
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6 ISSN: 2302-9285
3.2. Effect of discolouration on the acidity of the oil samples
The initial acidity of the WCO sample was found to be 5.4644 mg KOH/g whereas the acidity of the
NWCO sample was significantly lower, with a value of 0.2825 mg KOH/g. The acidity of the NWCO sample
was improved by 94.83% relative to the acidity of the WCO sample, indicating the effectiveness of the
neutralization process. Following this, the NWCO was discoloured through the reclamation process, where
the number of reclamation cycles was varied at 1, 2 and 3. Indeed, the reclamation process reduced the
acidity of the NWCO, where the extent of acidity reduction was dependent on the number of reclamation
cycles, as shown in Figure 5. The RNWCO-2 sample had the lowest acidity (0.2320 mg KOH/g), which
corresponds to a reduction of 17.87% relative to the acidity of the NWCO. Likewise, the acidity of the
RNWCO-1 and RNWCO-3 samples was reduced, with a value of 0.2527 and 0.2523 mg KOH/g,
respectively. In general, all of the RNWCO samples were within the stipulated limits for ‘continued use of
in-service natural ester fluids’ in oil-immersed transformers, which should be less than or equal to 0.30 mg
KOH/g, according to the IEEE C57.147 standard.
0.3
0.25
Acidity (mg KOH/g)
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
NWCO RNWCO-1 RNWCO-2 RNWCO-3
Oil sample
Table 1. Comparison of the physical, chemical, and electrical properties of the RNWCO-2 sample with those
specified in the IEC 62770 and IEEE C57.147 standards
Property Unit IEC 62770 IEEE C57.147 RNWCO-2
Clear and free from sediment and
Color rating ≤ 1.0 0.5
— suspended matter
3
Density g/cm ≤1 ≤ 0.96 0.913
Flash point °C ≥ 250 ≥ 275 260
Viscosity mm2/s ≤ 50 ≤ 50 41
Acidity mg KOH/g ≤ 0.06 ≤ 0.06 0.2320
Water content mg/kg ≤ 200 ≤ 200 137a
Breakdown voltage kV ≥ 35b ≥ 20c 29a,c
a b c
After moisture removal treatment, IEC 60156 standard (gap distance: 2.5 mm), ASTM D1816 (gap distance: 1 mm)
In this study, the RNWCO-2 sample had the lowest colour rating and acidity and therefore, the
physical, chemical, and electrical properties were measured for this oil sample. The density, flash point, and
viscosity of the RNWCO-2 sample were determined to be 0.913 g/cm 3, 260 °C, and 41 mm2/s, respectively.
The breakdown voltage of the RNWCO-2 sample after moisture removal treatment was found to be 29 kV,
which was ~45% higher than the minimum dielectric breakdown voltage required for new natural ester fluids
(20 kV). Hence, the density, viscosity, flash point, and breakdown voltage fulfilled the specifications
stipulated in the IEC 62770 and IEEE C57.147 standards.
4. CONCLUSION
In this study, neutralized waste cooking oil (NWCO) was discolourized with Fuller’s Earth
adsorbent through reclamation by contact (number of reclamation cycles: 1, 2, and 3) to produce reclaimed
neutralized waste cooking oil (RNWCO). The RNWCO-2 sample (NWCO reclaimed for 2 cycles) had a pale
yellow appearance with a colour rating of 0.5. In addition, the RNWCO-2 sample was clear and free from
sediment and suspended matter. The reclamation process reduced the acidity of the RNWCO-2 sample to
0.2320 mg KOH/g, which corresponds to a reduction of 17.87% relative to the acidity of NWCO (0.2825 mg
KOH/g). The density, flash point, and viscosity of the RNWCO-2 sample were determined to be 0.913 g/cm 3,
260 °C, and 41 mm2/s, respectively. Moisture removal treatment was carried out on the RNWCO-2 sample
and the water content was found to be 137 ppm. Breakdown voltage tests were performed after the moisture
removal treatment and the breakdown voltage of the RNWCO-2 sample was 29 kV. In general, most of the
properties of RNWCO-2 sample investigated in this study fulfilled the specifications of the IEC 62770 and
IEEE C57.147 standards, except for the acidity, which was categorized as within the recommended limit for
‘continued use of in-service natural ester fluids’ in oil-immersed transformers specified in the IEEE C57.147
standard, where the acidity should be less than or equal to 0.30 mg KOH/g. Based on the results, it can be
concluded that the RNWCO-2 sample has potential to be used as a transformer dielectric liquid.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Ministry of Education
Malaysia (MoE) and Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) under the Fundamental Research Grant
Scheme (FRGS/1/2017/TK04/FKE-CERIA/F00332). The authors amiably thank Mr Muhammad Nazori
Deraman from Faculty of Electrical Engineering, UTeM, Malaysia, for providing assistance on the
preparation of materials and measurements conducted in this study.
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BIOGRAPHIES OF AUTHORS
Imran Sutan Chairul received his BEng. (Hons.) degree in Electrical Engineering from Universiti
Teknikal Malaysia Melaka in 2008 and MEng. degree in Electrical Engineering from Universiti
Tenaga Nasional in 2012. He is currently pursuing his PhD degree at Universiti Teknikal
Malaysia Melaka, where his research is focused on vegetable-based transformer dielectric
liquids.
Norazhar Abu Bakar received his BEng. (Hons.) degree in Electronics and Electrical
Engineering from Leeds University, UK, MSc. (Eng.) in Control Systems from Sheffield
University, UK, and PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Curtin
University, Australia. He is currently serving as a lecturer at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia
Melaka, Malaysia. His research interests are transformer condition monitoring and advanced
control systems.
Md Nazri Othman received his BSc. degree in Electrical Power from Memphis State University,
USA, MSc. in Power Electronic and Drives and PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, from
University of Nottingham, UK. He is currently serving as a lecturer at Universiti Teknikal
Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia. His research interests are designing electric machines, and
renewable energy.
Sharin Ab Ghani received his BEng. (Hons.) degree in Electrical Engineering from Universiti
Teknikal Malaysia Melaka in 2008, MEng. Degree in Electrical Engineering from Universiti
Tenaga Nasional in 2012, and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia in 2019. He is currently serving as a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia
Melaka, Malaysia. His research interests are electrical insulations, power equipment and
insulation condition monitoring, as well as renewable energy.
Nur Hakimah Ab Aziz received her BEng. (Hons.) degree in Electrical Engineering from
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, MEng. degree in Electrical Power Engineering from University
of South Australia, Australia, and PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from University of
Strathclyde Glasgow. She is currently serving as a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknikal
Malaysia Melaka,, Malaysia. Her research interests include condition monitoring, diagnostics
and prognostics, as well as ageing of dielectric insulations.
Title of manuscript is short and clear, implies research results (First Author)