Raman Spectroscopy Characterization of Mineral Oil and Palm Oil with Added Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube for Application in Oil-Filled Transformers

Abstract

This century is experiencing a generation of nanotechnologies that makes use of the remarkable properties of nanofluids in applications such as electrical systems, industrialization, and others. In this paper, mineral oil (MO) and palm oil (PO), with multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT), have been synthesized for use in oil-filled transformer applications. This research aims to use Raman characterization to assess the feasibility of CNT nanofluids samples at 0.02 g/L and 0.03 g/L concentrations. The chemical structure bonding that exists in the Raman band between 700 cm−1 and 3100 cm−1 regions is identified and analyzed, accordingly. After baseline removal and normalization, the precision band location and intensity of oil samples are fitted with a Gaussian profile. It was discovered that the peak at ~1440 cm−1 has the highest intensity for six oil samples, which is attributed to the (C–H) methylene scissors vibration of the CH2 group. Based on the FWHM profile and integrated area under the curve of PO, it was discovered that CNT contributes to the structural stability defect of PO. Principal component analysis (PCA) is also used in this study to classify different samples based on chemical composition and identify the spectral characteristics with the highest degree of variability.