Investigations on the Suitability of Non-Wood Kenaf Bast Fiber as an Alternative for Making Insulating Presspaper for Transformers

For decades, oil-impregnated paper and presspaper derived from Kraft pulp have been utilized in high-voltage transformers to fulfill the function of providing electrical insulation. In response to the growing demand for wood fiber on a global scale, non-wood fibers have been developed for use in pulp and presspaper manufacturing as alternatives to wood fibers. The purpose of this study is to develop an insulating presspaper for transformer applications using non-wood Kenaf Bast fiber. Specifically, this article investigates the morphology, thermal properties, tensile strength, and electrical breakdown voltage performance of Kenaf presspaper in order to assess its potential use as presspaper insulation. Results show that Kraft presspaper has better thermal stability and tensile strength value than Kenaf presspaper. A higher relative bond area in Kraft presspaper than in Kenaf presspaper is one reason for its mechanical strength. However, in terms of the electrical breakdown voltage performance, it has been seen that the Kenaf presspaper performance is greatly improved. The findings of the study show that additional investigation into the implementation of Kenaf presspaper in transformers is recommended. It is possible that the insulating performance could be improved by making some modifications to the production process of Kenaf presspaper.