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Alternative Fluids – with a Particular Emphasis on 

Vegetable Oils – as Replacements of Transformer Oil  
A Concise Review 

 

M. G. Danikas 

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, 

Democritus University of Thrace, Greece 

mdanikas@ee.duth.gr 

Ramanujam Sarathi 

Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Department of 

Electrical Engineering, High Voltage Laboratory, India 

rsarathi@iitm.ac.in 
 

 

Abstract-For many decades transformer oil has served as a well-

known insulating medium. Its electrical properties, among 

others, have been studied in length. In recent years, with the 

increasing concern for the environment, alternative insulating 
liquids have been proposed. In the context of this concise review, 

such alternative fluids are investigated. Some conflicting evidence 

regarding experimental results that still persist are discussed and 
aspects of vegetable oils in need of further work are pointed out. 

Keywords-alternative fluids; vegetable oils; transformer oil; 

mineral oil; dielectric strength; breakdown voltage; oxidation; fluid 
viscosity; cooling function; flash point; fire point 

I. INTRODUCTION  

During the last decades, transformer oils, consisting of a 
mixture of hydrocarbons including paraffins, isoparaffins, 
naphthenes and aromatics, have enjoyed extensive use [1]. 
Such a liquid undergoes aging depending on its exposure to 
prolonged heating and electrical stresses. Aging of transformer 
oil results to gradual change in its electrical and thermal 
properties, i.e. a change in color and a formation of solid 
byproducts. Transformer oil, although an excellent insulating 
medium, has also its weak aspects, such as its sensitivity to 
humidity (it has been reported, for example, that oil at 20

o
C 

with water contents of 44ppm will have only 25% of its normal 
dielectric strength [2]). Various studies have been carried out 
regarding the properties and aging of transformer oil, such as 
the dielectric strength, the humidity content, the role of air 
bubbles on its electrical behavior, the variation of dielectric 
constant and density w.r.t temperature etc. [3-7]. In [8], a 
comprehensive review was given regarding the properties and 
applications of a variety of insulating liquids. In that review, 
except the transformer oil, there were comments on silicone oil, 
fluorinated liquids, chlorinated and phosphate fluids, and ester 
and synthetic hydrocarbons. Polybutene liquids were also 
mentioned as possible substitutes to transformer oil, especially 
regarding the dielectric strength [1, 9] (in fact the DC dielectric 
strength of some polybutene oils was found to increase with 
increasing liquid density up to 65MV/m at a density of 
880kg/m

3 
as compared to untreated transformer oil under the 

same conditions). The mechanisms of breakdown in 
transformer oil have been thoroughly studied [10-12]. 
Moreover, efforts have been made to improve the general 

electrical performance of transformer oil by adding minute 
quantities of certain substances, as has been reported in [13-
16]. Furthermore, the state of transformer oil has been 
investigated with classical diagnostic techniques [17], as well 
as with more modern diagnostic techniques [18].  

Although transformer oil has served satisfactorily the high 
voltage industry for many years, it became evident that there 
were some less positive aspects about it, such as its 
inflammability and the fact that it is not biodegradable. The 
aim of the present paper is to give a concise review of some 
alternatives to transformer oil and comment on their various 
aspects. It is evident that in the context of the present review 
there will be no mention of nanofluids [19, 20]. It must be 
emphasized that the present short review does not by any 
means include all possible alternative fluids to transformer oil 
since only vegetable oils are particularly mentioned and 
discussed. 

II. EARLIER PROPOSALS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO 
TRANSFORMER OIL 

Earlier attempts to replace transformer oil with other liquids 
are reported in [8]. Ester hydrocarbons can be chemically 
tailored so as to produce high thermal stability or fire resistance 
if used in transformers [8]. Polybutene oils were reported as 
having certain advantages regarding their dielectric strength in 
comparison to transformer oil [1, 9, 21]. Moreover, polybutene 
oils present, among others, high fire resistance and heat 
dissipation as well as arc discharge quenching [22]. Silicone 
fluids further enhance the thermal stability properties [21]. 
They are fire resistant but - at least at the initial stages of their 
development – they suffered from poor heat transfer [23]. As 
noted in a later publication [24], silicone fluids w.r.t. their 
cooling and insulating properties, compare reasonably well 
with mineral oils. Silicone oils are environment friendly with a 
strong resistance to oxidation and sludge formation, but they 
are rather expensive and they have high viscosities at 200ºC 
[25]. Fluorinated oils may be excellent insulating liquids but 
were expensive with a questionable effect on the environment 
[8]. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-based insulating liquids, 
although they have high fire security standards, they proved to 
be a liability because of their toxicity and their 
bioaccumulation [8, 21, 24, 26-28]. Phosphate esters were 



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another alternative because they were relatively cheap. They 
were, however, more destined as lubricants and rather poor 
insulants [29]. Questions also have been raised regarding their 
environmental hazards [8]. 

Other approaches for alternative liquids, such as 
electronegative fluids or liquefied elemental gases will not be 
mentioned here, since the former played more the role of 
refrigerants, and the latter were destined for use in 
superconducting magnets in high energy particle machines [8]. 
Moreover, the subject of liquefied gases was partially dealt 
with in a recent review publication [30]. 

III. FACTORS THAT MAY INFLUENCE THE BEHAVIOR OF 

INSULATING LIQUIDS 

As was noted in [8], transformers require a fluid which has 
both good insulating properties and which can also be an 
efficient coolant. Low loss tangent and high resistivity are also 
required. The fluid must be non-flammable, non-toxic and 
biodegradable. Low gas absorption and low expansion 
coefficient must also characterize a transformer fluid. The fluid 
must be – as far as it is possible - free of impurities (dust, 
fibers, and metallic particles) and its gas content should be as 
small as possible. Gas bubbles may enhance electron emission 
and cause premature failure and thus should be avoided [31]. 
Since in a liquid filled system such as a transformer, heat is 
transferred mainly by convection, the thermal conductivity of 
the fluid is of primary importance [8]. The temperature effect is 
a complex phenomenon because of the possible changes in 
cathode emission, gas content and fluid viscosity [31]. Let us 
not also forget the interplay between moisture and temperature, 
since it has been reported that oil having small amounts of 
moisture showed an increase in dielectric strength, whereas the 
opposite effect was observed with dry oil [31]. Viscosity is 
another significant parameter in determining the heat flow in a 
transformer. As temperature increases, the fluid viscosity 
rapidly falls and consequently the cooling effect is greatly 
enhanced [8]. Needless to say that big differences may exist 
between new and aging oil, as has been reported previously, 
especially regarding the dissipation factor and the dielectric 
strength, and this is the reason of periodic control of the oil 
quality and – if need be – its replacement [32-34]. Yet another 
vital parameter is the resistance of the fluid to discharges. This, 
however, depends on the nature of the fluid. Other insulating 
liquids release gas bubbles, whereas others absorb gas bubbles, 
as was noted in [8, 35]. Besides the factors, it would be fitting 
to add that for some of the liquids mentioned above, there are 
serious objections. Fluorinated oils, for example, have a high 
cost, so that their use is rather prohibitive [36, 37]. Polybutene 
oils, although non-toxic and environmentally friendly with 
rather satisfactory flash points, are rather expensive for use in 
large volumes [24]. 

IV. POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO TRANSFORMER OI: 
MODERN APPROACHES 

Silicone oil, synthetic ester and natural ester oils are 
possible alternatives to transformer oil. Silicone oils, however, 
besides some problematic aspects as mentioned above, are still 
highly viscous at higher temperatures and present limited 
biodegradability [38]. As noted in [24], in order to avoid large 

temperature rises during operation, silicone-filled transformers 
must be de-rated (up to 10%) or provided with additional 
cooling capacity. On the other hand, synthetic esters are usually 
derived from the combination of more than one alcohol 
functional group (polyol) with carboxylic acids leading to a 
central polyol structure. Most preferably the synthetic ester is 
defined as a family of polyol esters and in particular these 
fluids are pentaerythritol tetra ester as shown in Figure 1. 

 

 
Fig. 1.  Structure of synthetic ester. 

where R represents an alkyl group ranging from C5H11 to 
C9H19. Synthetic esters present high oxidation stability, have a 
very good cold temperature performance and are easily 
biodegradable [38]. Synthetic ester liquids can absorb 
significantly more moisture than transformer oil before their 
insulating properties deteriorate [24]. Tetraesters (or 
pentaerythritol esters) are environmentally friendly but they are 
expensive. Tetraesters can absorb moisture produced by 
thermal degradation of cellulose (paper) present in the 
windings, their viscosity, however, is higher than that of 
transformer oil [24, 39]. In [39], it is noted that the high 
saturation limit of such liquids (many times higher than that of 
mineral oil) reduces the moisture content in the solid insulation 
due to water diffusion into the liquid, having better insulating 
performance as a consequence. It should also be pointed out 
that the higher moisture content implies the formation of free 
fatty acids [24]. The higher absorption of moisture of tetraester 
fluids is due to their carbonyl structure, as reported in [40]. 
Phosphoric esters have high fire point and permittivity. In 
certain aspects, such as breakdown voltage, dissipation factor 
and resistivity, they are supposed to be comparable or even 
better than mineral oil, but they tend to also have some 
negative aspects because they pose some environmental risks 
[24, 41]. Because of the latter, their use is rather limited. 

Natural ester consists of a glycerol backbone with different 
fatty acid groups and it can be saturated, mono unsaturated, and 
poly unsaturated. Vegetable oils can easily be obtained from 
natural products and are considered reasonable replacements of 
transformer oil. As was noted in [24], they consist essentially 
of triglycerides (Figure 2), which are naturally synthesized by 
the esterification of the tri-alcohol glycerol with three fatty 
acids. One of the aforementioned oils is castor oil, which is a 
vegetable oil from the castor bean. It is colorless to very yellow 
pale with mild or no odor or taste. Its boiling point is 313°C 
(595°F) and its density is 961kg/m3. It is a triglyceride in 
which approximately between 87% and 90% of fatty acid 
chains are ricinoleic acid [42]. It was found in the same 



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publication, however, that the dielectric strength of castor oil is 
not as good as that of transformer oil. The results of [42], were 
somehow contradicted in [43], where it was shown that castor 
seed oil gave breakdown values that were comparable (but not 
superior) to those of transformer oil. On the contrary, castor 
seed oil’s flash point, pour point, and viscosity were found to 
be better than those of the transformer oil. In yet another 
publication, castor oil was blended with madhucaindica oil and 
the mixture showed to have satisfactory heat transfer, pour 
point, flash point, and viscosity compared to transformer oil but 
its dielectric strength was found to be lower than that of 
transformer oil. The authors concluded that such a blend can 
work for low but not for high voltage transformers [44]. They 
remarked, however, that with more refinement this blend can 
also be used for high voltage transformers. 

 

 
Fig. 2.  Structure of natural ester. 

In Figure 2, the structure of natural ester is depicted, where 
R, R’, and R’’ refer to the different alkyl groups with a major 
variation in the number of C=C double bonds. The chemical 
composition of different fatty acid groups (Table I) determines 
the physical properties of the oil, i.e. with higher amount of 
saturated acids in the ester group, the fluid is more stable 
towards oxidation and less viscous compared to unsaturated 
acids which makes them unstable [45]. 

TABLE I.  FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF VEGETABLE OILS 

Oil fatty 

acid 

Saturated fatty acid 
Mono-

unsaturated 

Poly- 

unsaturated 

Palmitic 

acid 

(C16:0) 

Stearic 

acid 

(C18:0) 

Oleic 

acid 

(C18:1) 

Linoleic 

acid 

(C18:2) 

Palm 45 4 40 10 

Olive 11 3 71 10 

Rapeseed 4 2 62 22 

Sunflower 7 5 19 68 

Soyabean 11 4 24 54 

 

Vegetable oils were investigated in [46], where their 
advantages and disadvantages were treated accordingly. It was 
remarked that vegetable oils are susceptible to oxidation, and 
thus hermetic sealing is required in order to ensure optimum 
performance. The use of vegetable oils in transformers – 
because of their higher viscosity - results in increased 
temperatures of between 10 and 30°C. The higher viscosity, 
however, has also its positive aspect since it implies reduced 
spread in case of spillage conditions. On the other hand, their 
pour point is satisfactory, they are classified as low 
flammability liquids, their breakdown voltages tend to be much 
higher than those of mineral and silicone oils even with 

substantial amounts of moisture, and, last but not least, the 
operating temperatures of vegetable oils are clearly higher than 
those of mineral oils. The latter point of [46] is contested in 
[47], where it was claimed that in the case of power 
transformers (e.g. 160MVA) temperature increase in 
transformers filled with esters can be even greater as compared 
to the temperature of the transformer filled with mineral oil. 
Therefore, according to [47], in order to use synthetic or natural 
ester, the changing of the geometry of the transformer 
(increasing its size), the reduction of the load, or the 
modification of the cooling system should be considered. 

Another perspective on vegetable oils was given in [48], 
where soya bean oil and palm kernel oil were investigated. The 
authors concluded that both aforementioned oils can be used as 
replacements for mineral oil on the condition of refinement 
since they possess a lower dielectric strength and they hold 
more moisture than mineral oil. The viscosity of both oils is 
higher than that of mineral oil and their flash point is much 
higher than that of mineral oil. The authors seemed to 
reluctantly propose both vegetable oils as replacements of the 
transformer oil on the condition of further purification. Authors 
in [48] seem to agree with the results published before, where 
mineral oil was compared with vegetable oil and synthetic ester 
oil in the presence of pressboard [49]. In [49], Partial Discharge 
(PD) levels were found to be higher in both alternative oils than 
in mineral oil. Although no specific reason was given for such 
differences in the PD level, [49] was an effort to investigate 
solid/liquid insulation as is used in transformer windings. 
Although there was some skepticism, as reported above, there 
were other publications that suggested the use of vegetable oils, 
since these presented a dielectric strength comparable to that of 
mineral oil and the saturated fatty acid content in such oils 
retarded the deterioration of the insulating fluid in high-
temperature environments or long-term storage conditions. 
Moreover, vegetable oils showed more cooling ability and high 
insulation capacity than mineral oil [50]. Authors in [51] agree 
with [50], reporting that while oxidation of mineral oil 
produces sludge precipitates, vegetable oils are much more 
resistant to oxidation. 

Vegetable oils have been researched in [52], where the 
authors carried out a detailed study of Rice Bran Oil (RBO), 
Corn Oil (CO) and transformer oil. Their investigations 
indicated that when the viscosity of transformer oil is lower 
than those of RBO and CO, the flash point and the fire point of 
the vegetable oils were much higher than those of the 
transformer oil, with the dielectric strength of RBO being 
higher than that of transformer oil. All in all, the authors of [52] 
concluded that, because of the rich content of fatty acids, 
vegetable oils – and particularly RBO – give enhanced 
performances compared to the transformer oil. RBO was also 
investigated in [53] along with with sesame oil, sunflower oil, 
and mineral oil in a comparative study. RBO was superior to 
the other examined oils regarding the flash point (but not the 
fire point, where sesame oil was found to be superior), the 
breakdown voltage and the viscosity. The oxidation stability of 
the aforementioned vegetable oils, however, was not as good as 
that of the mineral oil. The latter statement on oxidation 
stability is in agreement with [54, 55], where it was reported 
that olive oil offered excellent resistance to aging, rapeseed oil 



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offered intermediate properties whereas corn and sunflower oil 
oxidized appreciably after aging. Authors in [55] reported that 
partial discharge magnitudes of Palm Fatty Acid Ester (PFAE) 
are slightly lower than those of petroleum-based mineral oil 
during the aging time, which somehow contradicts the findings 
in [49]. In [56], the authors investigated the problem of 
dielectric strength of mineral oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and 
rapeseed oil from another viewpoint, namely that of statistical 
analysis. They found that for the above mentioned oils and with 
plane-plane electrodes, the vegetable oils had a higher mean 
dielectric strength than mineral oil. A later work [57], pointed 
out that the AC dielectric strength of the synthetic ester oil and 
the natural ester oil were higher than the dielectric strength of 
mineral oil as moisture was increasing. In the same work, the 
impulse dielectric strength of the vegetable liquids seemed to 
be less affected than that of mineral oil. It should be noted, 
however, regarding PD activity, both palm oil and corn oil 
showed a lower activity than mineral oil with a rod-plane 
electrode arrangement at 25 kV, especially after thermal aging 
of 30 and 45 days [57]. The PD results of [57] are in 
disagreement with the results of [49]. 

Coconut oil was the exclusive subject of [58], where it was 
claimed that its dielectric strength with both mushroom and 
spherical electrodes was satisfactory. The authors studied the 
variation of its dielectric strength w.r.t. moisture content but 
they did not compare coconut oil with mineral oil. Their claim, 
however, that coconut oil can be an alternative to transformer 
oil was supported from an earlier publication [59], where 
coconut oil was shown to have higher dielectric strength than 
transformer oil, having also a much higher flash point. The 
experimental results of [58] are in accordance with those of 
[60], where coconut oil was found to be even superior to 
refined, bleached, deodorized palm oil (RBDPO). Further 
detailed studies with soybean oil, coconut oil, palm oil and rice 
husk oil revealed that all of them have higher flash and fire 
points than mineral oil, with coconut oil, palm oil and rice husk 
oil having also higher breakdown values than mineral oil [61]. 
Soybean oil was found to be no better than mineral oil 
regarding breakdown voltage. In that, reference [61] was at 
variance with the data presented in [48]. The experimental 
results of [61] deviate significantly from those of [62], where a 
surprisingly very low dielectric strength for coconut oil was 
observed in comparison with mineral oil. No specific 
explanation was given by the authors of [62] for such low 
dielectric strength values of the coconut oil. Coconut oil has 
indeed lower dielectric strength than virgin coconut oil and 
palm oil [63], but not as low as that reported in [62]. On the 
other hand, there have been earlier reports mentioning the 
rather low dielectric strength values of coconut oil in 
comparison to transformer oil [64], but not as low as those of 
[62]. Yet again, such data are contradicted from recent 
experimental results suggesting that the dielectric strength of 
coconut oil is very similar to that of mineral oil [65]. 

Recent studies showed that vegetable oils are possible 
replacements for mineral oil [66]. The authors in [66] 
investigated a variety of vegetable oils, such as corn oil, castor 
oil, olive oil, and ester oil. Especially the dielectric strength of 
corn, castor, and olive oils was higher than the dielectric 
strength of mineral oil. The authors concluded that such 

vegetable oils can replace mineral oil in power transformers. In 
[67], both the positive and negative aspects of vegetable oils 
have been discussed. The author remarked that, besides the 
positive aspects – which have been referred to also above -, 
there are also some negative aspects of vegetable oils, namely 
that their cooling function is not as good as that of the mineral 
oil and the dielectric strength under lightning voltages is 
inferior to that of the mineral oil. Furthermore, and in relation 
to kraft paper, the positive and negative aspects have been 
discussed in [68]. Others reported that higher rates of water 
migration from paper to the oil was observed during heating of 
natural ester oil in comparison with mineral oil [69]. In a 
further publication it was reported that the kraft paper/mineral 
oil combination lowered the Degree of Polymerization (DP) 
index, defined as the average number of repeating units that are 
contained in the molecular chain of a polymer, even more than 
the kraft paper/vegetable oil combination [70]. The authors of 
[70] used two vegetable ester-based oils without, however, 
giving full details about them. Agreeing with [70], another 
work reported that testing with Jatropha curcas oil, the latter’s 
combination with kraft paper gave a rather satisfactory DP. 
Moreover, the refining process of Jatropha curcas oil, although 
it did not influence the physical properties of density, viscosity, 
and fire point, it improved somehow its flash and pour points 
giving also a very satisfactory dielectric strength [71]. It has to 
be noted, however, that without antioxidants, Jatropha curcas 
oil tends to be considerably oxidized during accelerated aging 
[72]. 

The better cooling function of mineral oil in comparison to 
vegetable oils has also been reported in [73]. In the latter 
publication, however, emphasis was given on other aspects of 
vegetable oils, such as their rather satisfactory AC dielectric 
strength, high biodegradability, and fire safety. Of the 
vegetable oils tested, RBDPO was found to have a high 
breakdown voltage and low dissipation factor among the other 
candidates (soybean oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, coconut 
oil), and thus it was suggested as the best alternative fluid to 
mineral oil. Other researchers, however, reported that extra 
virgin olive oil and castor oil have very high dielectric 
strengths [74]. Extensive work on soybean-based oil revealed 
that it releases more ethane than mineral oil, whereas the 
Dielectric Dissipation Factor (DDF) is normally higher for a 
vegetable oil than for a mineral oil [75]. Experimental work on 
rapeseed oil revealed that its dielectric strength is comparable 
to that of mineral oil [76], and that it can be used for power 
transformers, especially if improved through the use of an 
antioxidant [77].  

V. CHALLENGES INVOLVED WITH ALTERNATE FLUIDS FOR 
TRANSPORT APPLICATIONS 

The higher thermal class of ester fluids makes them viable 
in densely populated areas or commercial buildings such as 
shopping malls and airports. Further, the transformers filled 
with such liquids can be placed closer to the buildings which 
benefit from its reduced equipment spacing requirements as 
specified in the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70). When 
comparing the installation of transformers containing ester 
fluids with existing mineral oil, it also provides additional 
benefit of shorter Low Voltage (LV) cable runs and hence 



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lower losses. The ester fluids are hygroscopic in nature, so 
precautionary measures on storage and handling such liquids 
must be taken care of in order to prevent their reaction with 
atmospheric moisture and hence these liquids are 
recommended in non-breathing transformers. The relative 
permittivity of any dielectrics affects the electric field 
distribution in the winding structures and must be considered 
before the use of new alternate liquids inside the transformers, 
where the stress exerted at the oil/pressboard interface is very 
low on the usage of ester fluids due to its minimal variation in 
permittivity. Also, the fluid flow characteristics along with 
thermal modeling of windings must be considered before 
designing in order to evaluate the difference in temperature rise 
for an ester filled transformer, compared to standard mineral 
oil. 

VI. SOME THOUGHTS ON FUTURE RESEARCH 

Interest in vegetable oils was noted a long time ago [78, 
79]. Excellent reviews have been published on alternative 
fluids to transformer oil [80]. Without doubt, vegetable oils can 
be a hope for the future replacement of mineral oil in power 
transformers. There are, however, efforts to be undertaken in 
order to clarify certain pending issues. Some conflicting data 
reported above must be further looked upon and further 
experiments should be carried out. There is still some 
uncertainty regarding the dielectric strength of some vegetable 
oils as well as their PD behavior [81, 82]. Further research 
should be directed towards this goal. The weakness of 
vegetable oils w.r.t. lightning impulses should also be further 
researched. Moreover, studies on the long-term performance of 
paper insulation with vegetable oils must be carried out. 
Considerable efforts regarding the study of paper/vegetable oil 
insulation have already been undertaken [83, 84]. Detailed 
reports on pre-breakdown and breakdown phenomena 
regarding the vegetable oils must also be produced, as was the 
case in more conventional fluids [12, 85-88]. In conjunction to 
pre-breakdown and breakdown phenomena and related 
mechanisms, vegetable oil-based nanofluids must be 
investigated regarding their dielectric strength, volume 
resistivity, and dissipation factor [89]. Furthermore, techniques 
that proved to be useful in studying PD in transformer oil, 
should be tried and further developed also with vegetable 
liquids [90-92]. Last but not least, experimental work on blends 
of mineral and synthetic and natural ester oils should continue, 
especially in the view of the recent research, which pointed out 
that the oxidation rate of such a blend was lower than the one 
of mineral oil [93, 94].  

VII. CONCLUSIONS 

This – by no means exhaustive – review points the fact that 
there may be alternatives to mineral oil. Possible candidates for 
the replacement of mineral oil already exist. A lot of 
experimental data point out that vegetable oils show specific 
advantages in comparison to mineral oil, such as 
biodegradability, flash and fire points, higher permittivity 
(which is advantageous when the oil is combined with paper 
insulation), and, on certain occasions, satisfactory dielectric 
strength. Some negative aspects of the said oils are also 
mentioned in this short review as well as some still conflicting 
evidence regarding certain experimental results. Although 

vegetable oils seem to be promising candidates as replacements 
of transformer oil, further experimental work must be done. 
Thoughts for further research are also given. 

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