Читать книгу Alternative Liquid Dielectrics for High Voltage Transformer Insulation Systems - Группа авторов - Страница 32

Pongamia pinnata oil or commonly known as the karanji oil belongs to the species of family Leguminosae and genus Pongamia. This plant is native to the tropical and temperate regions including parts of India, China, Japan, Malaysia, and Australia. This plant is unaffected by drought and grows up to 20 m in height with soft, shiny leaves. This plant is also semi‐deciduous and leguminous tree, and has the property of nitrogen fixing. This plant starts to flower and seeds are obtained, in around a time frame of five years. The inspection article of Germplasm Resources Information Network United States Department of Agriculture shows that 9–90 kg Pongamia pinnata seeds can be produced from a single tree per year [33]. The prospective yield per hectare is around 900–9000 kg/ha. As per available data, Pongamia oil has got a potential of 135 000 million tons per year and only 6% is being exploited. Traditionally, this plant has been used in Indian and south‐east Asian regions as a source of Ayurvedic medicines for skin diseases, rheumatism, animal fodder, green manure, and timber. In recent times, Pongamia pinnata has been accepted as a practicable source of nonedible oil for the biofuel industry [34]. A sample of Pongamia pinnata seeds is shown in Figure 2.1a. The pongamia oil has higher flash point and breakdown voltages than the MO, but a comparable viscosity.