The molecular dynamic simulation investigation of the dispersion stability of nano-modified transformer oil

Abstract

The dispersion stability of nano-modified transformer oil with the greater thermal conductivity and dielectric strength is a difficulty to be investigated. In order to have a deep understanding of the stable mechanism of nano-modified transformer oil, the total interaction energy was calculated by the molecular dynamic (MD) simulation based on the DLVO theory. A COMPASS force field was employed, and periodic boundary conditions were defined to build a MD simulation model of the nano-modified transformer oil. After the energy barrier and primary minimum energy were both considered, the optimal size of nanoparticles was determined for intrinsically stable suspensions in transformer oil. The results accurately estimated the best diameter of Al2O3 nanoparticles is 18nm for intrinsically stable dispersions of nanoparticles in transformer oil.