Does anyone know the chemical formula/equation for the consumption of nitrous? Also, could you use compressed oxygen instead, and how would it work compared to nitrous? My guess is that it is an oxydizer but not as aggressive as oxygen, so you don't melt the motor or blow the whole shabang up :confused:
Nitrous is No2.... 1 part nitrogen 2 parts oxygen.... it puts 2 times as much oxygen... at below freezing temperatures( thanks to the nitrogen... it's at -196* C or -302* F (edit)....of course it isnt at that temp all the time and at this small quantity of it) into the intake which cools the air/gas mixture at a very cold temperature... putting 2 times more oxygen, allows for 2 times as much fuel.. and as we all know air and gas together is what makes horsepower... the more air.. the more gas.. the more horsies.. i did a report on it for a science class in my college courses about a year ago.. i will see if i can find my report... and then send it to you.. in theory, every car on the market can handle up to 100hp shot .... and survive ( of course you dont want to do this every single time you drive it)... too much.. well yeah, you better make sure your engine can handle it.....
Most Commonly Asked Questions - Q. How does nitrous oxide create more horsepower? A. Nitrous oxide provides the oxygen that allows an engine to burn more fuel, more burned fuel equals more power.from: http://www.nitrousexpress.com/Pages/faq.htm It's basically "Throttle-in-a-Bottle". (good luck)
Oxygen would work, but isnt as stable. the nitrogen acts as an anti detonation agent and stabalizer as well. stop eyeing your neighbors breathing tanks eh
adding pure oxygen to a combustion engine is bad.... wanna know why? O2 and oil are explosive... if pure oxygen comes into contact with oil in any way, it could be a bad day... and not just for the engine... the entire car could be destroyed... this is why people who fill oxygen bottles in the military have to do it on concrete (asphaly has oil in it) and there cannot be any form of contamination in an oxygen system the nitrogen keep the oxygen from being too dangerous
Just a couple of things. Nitrous oxide (or dinitrogen oxide, or nitrogen oxide, etc) is N2O. Two parts relatively inert nitrogen and one part oxygen. During the compression and combustion event, there is enough pressure and heat to separate the Nitrogen and oxygen forming Nitrogen gas and an unstable O -2 molecules that will attach to anything with a positive charge. Nitrous in gas or liquid form is relatively inert. You always have some ions floating around though. Just like water is mostly H2O, but you also have H+ and O-2 ions it, and that's why it will rust your car. Anywho... By adding more oxygen to the combustion event, you can add more fuel, which equates to more pressure and heat and equals more power. The only problem with nitrous is that the pressure rise rate is extremely fast due to the accelerated burn rate. It puts more stress on your rotating components as compared to a forced induction or naturally aspirated engine making relatively the same HP. The reason for this is there is more inert gas when not using nitrous. Pure oxygen is extremely corrosive. As a gas or a liquid it is O2, but that molecule is extremely unstable and wants to become 2 O-2. It combines with anything that has positive ions, like gasoline, aluminum, iron, steel, you know, things an engine is made out of. While nitrous will also do this, it does it too a smaller degree and only after you increase the temperature and pressure at which time it is more likely to combine with gasoline than cylinder walls.
^ Of all the guys with the username "ATOMonkey", you are, by far,the smartest!^ BTW, what IS your background / experience (if you don't mind)?
So basically, injecting nitrous is the exact same thing as injecting oxygen, only safer because the nitrogen atom keeps it stable during the process. Without it, I imagine that injecting just the oxygen atoms would be dangerous... Does that summarize it well, or am I missing something? I never messed with it because it can turn against you if you are not careful. I never could afford to chance burning up an engine. That is just my phobia. I know that nitrous is reasonably safe as long as you know your limits. What I have learned about it: Your cam should generally run a wider LCA. Most nitrous specific cams are ground around 112-116 degrees. As oposed to 106-112 for N/A. Forged pistons, although not a must, are the only smart way to go. Cast pistons can burn fast, and I know folks that have had hypertectic pistons disintergrate on them. Literally turn to sand from their silicone content. Preignition and detonation are primarily the cause for damage from nitrous. Next is crank/main web failure, assuming forged pistons. Dave
Here is a few well-known facts....Nitrous oxide is also know as laughing gas that hospitals use....it is more sterile for the medical field......nitrogen is in the air that we breathe,but in small quanties....it is oxygen deficent,meaning,in more quanties Oxygen will not exist....nitrogen is-320 degrees in its liquid state...it has to be heated (hence the bottle warmer,electric blanket for the tank) to be used as a gas at 60 degrees...it is not flammable but it transfers tremendous pressure when heated....some racers use what is called a "cool-can" to lower the temp of the incoming fuel. The cooler the fuel,the better the molecular structure breaks down in the engine...hence more power is produced
actually nitrogen makes up 78% of the air we breath, oxygen 21%, the other % is a mixture of inert gases. liquid nitrogen in its pure form turns into a gas at -320 and in turn goes liquid at -320 that is its boiling point. air (the compound made up of nitrogen, oxygen and a combination of inert gases) goes liquid at -269 the heater on the bottles is to help keep pressure consistant.
Really cool information. I enjoyed chemistry, physics, and calculus, but never did I get to learn real "everyday" information like this! Thanks for the insight.
How does nitrous work??? DAMN GOOD!!! That's how.... Most of the posts are correct on usage, but don't be afraid of it. It won't melt your engine, or blow it up using it smart. I've used it for more than 20 years, on everything from a stock 200six, to the Mustang in my avatar (460) Make sure you have good fuel pressure, and volume, good gas, back the timing up a hair. No need for bottle blankets, and DO NOT use a torch to heat a bottle, and if someone near you is, move away. Uneven heating bottles with torches can cause stress to the bottle, which could cause the bottle to break apart. Nitrous probems usually come from not being conservative, examples are too big of a shot, fuel pressure too low, worn out parts. I use a 175 shot on the Stang, and for the last 10 years it has had stock cast pistons, stock rod bolts, and I've run it with 41 degrees total timing, all a disaster waiting to happen, I've probably been lucky...The car 60fts around 1.40, with the wheels up. I love the stuff!
Yellow, You are running a 175 shot on the original engine parts, without a rebuild? I worry about running my stock engine to 5000rpms, each time I do it I expect it to blow. I never thought adding a 100- or 150-shot to this would be safe. Could I safely put 100 or 150 on an original motor with 58k miles, with new heads/headers, moderate cam, and single plane intake. I was going to wait until I have it rebuilt to 347...but
