Effects of aluminum nitride nanoparticles on the space charge behavior of cellulose paper

Cellulose insulation paper as a part of oil–paper insulation systems plays an important role in the reliability of converter transformers. The reliability of converter transformers equipped with traditional cellulose paper is adversely affected by space charge under DC voltage. The addition of nanoparticles into other dielectrics has been demonstrated to improve electrical performance. However, studies on the space charge behavior of cellulose paper reinforced with nanoparticles are rarely reported. This paper presents the results of a study aimed at elucidating the effect of nano-aluminum nitride (AlN) concentration on the space charge behavior of cellulose paper. Samples with various nano-AlN concentrations were fabricated and pretreated first. The micro-morphologies of prepared cellulose papers were observed using a field-emission scanning electron microscope. The space charge distribution was measured using a pulsed electroacoustic instrument. The results show the dependence of the charge injection as well as charge dissipation on the concentration of nano-AlN. The isothermal decay current method is used to obtain trap information. Based on the density and distribution of traps, the underlying mechanism of the effect of various concentrations on the space charge behavior is theoretically explained.