MarkyNark
09-16-2007, 07:23 AM
from my blog ....
The Problem with Nitrous
Nitrous oxide is an interesting chemical which can potentially reward the performance seeker. But it can also equally punish those that do not understand its properties by not controlling the results.
What is nitrous oxide? Today, there are two basic forms of nitrous oxide; Commercial and Medical. The medical version, which is purified to be used for inhalation is also known as laughing gas because of its euphoric effects. In the medical field its used to calm nerves and even put people out during oral surgery. Its non-flamable, colorless and has a slightly sweet smell.
The less expensive commercial version available to the public often has about 100 ppm of Sulfur dioxide added to prevent recreational use/abuse. Inhalation of such a mixture is nearly impossible after one breath due to gagging and sooner or later, involunatary clamping off of the esphougus; (some with "sulfate" allergies could even die due to allergic reaction). [source: Wikipedia].
The commercial version can aid power in an internal combustion engine. At 565 deg. F, nitrous oxide (N20) breaks apart and forms two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. Inside an engine, this added oxygen speeds up the combustion process. Whenever nitrous is used, additional fuel is necessary, otherwise the added oxygen will result in a lean condition which will act as a blow-torch inside your engine. When used correctly, nitrous oxide can increase engine performance similar to a supercharger, turbo charger or a big bore cylinder kit. It does this by placing more oxygen (along with fuel in most systems) into the cylinder for combustion.
So, how do you get the right balance of fuel and nitrous to the engine so that you don't have a gremlin with a blow torch sitting on top of your piston? If nitrous flow was constant, then it would be a simple matter of adding an appropriate amount of fuel at the same time. The problem with nitrous is that it is not consistent. Nitrous bottle pressure can go up or down depending on outside environmental conditions. When it's cold, bottle pressure can dramatically fall off. This means less oxygen to your engine, which leads to a rich condition (too much fuel) and power loss. This is especially a problem in the snowmobile application. This is why users will heat bottles by placing commercially available bottle mounts near exhaust pipes to heat the nitrous. There are also bottle heaters (which are similar or the same as snowmobile handle bar grip heaters) to electrically heat nitrous bottles.
In the ATV sport, cooler outside conditions are rarer. In fact, with ATV applications the problem is more centered around too much outside heat, which has an effect on the bottle pressure by increasing it, which increases nitrous flow, which can lead to a lean condition (damn, there's that gremlin again!).
This dilemma has sparked a number of companies to figure out ways to tackle this problem. Holley NOS historically has relied on bottle pressure gauges so that users could then determine (through the use of very creative tables) how much extra fuel to add or subtract by the use of jets that control the fuel supply. Boondocker Liquid Nitrous does this by the use of their patented Nitrous Manifold which uses variable air pressure (generated by the nitrous bottle pressure) to add eqaually variable fuel via air pressure to the float bowl of a carburetor. In an EFI system, a pressure sensor senses bottle pressure changes which, (through the use of their EFI Control Box), calculates how much extra fuel that the injectors must add. Other systems focus on controlling the nitrous through nitrous pressure regulators so that the additional fuel flow is less complex of an issue. In theory, a nitrous pressure regulator would seem to take the complexity out of the problem with variable nitrous pressure.
Whichever system you choose the problem with nitrous is simply getting the correct amount of fuel to match the amount of nitrous (which is oxygen when heated) into your engine.
Each system has a way to tackle the core issues, which may or may not be in your best interst. However, In my opinion, I have yet to see a complete system with quality components, produce actual & true, reliable & consistent results.
The Problem with Nitrous
Nitrous oxide is an interesting chemical which can potentially reward the performance seeker. But it can also equally punish those that do not understand its properties by not controlling the results.
What is nitrous oxide? Today, there are two basic forms of nitrous oxide; Commercial and Medical. The medical version, which is purified to be used for inhalation is also known as laughing gas because of its euphoric effects. In the medical field its used to calm nerves and even put people out during oral surgery. Its non-flamable, colorless and has a slightly sweet smell.
The less expensive commercial version available to the public often has about 100 ppm of Sulfur dioxide added to prevent recreational use/abuse. Inhalation of such a mixture is nearly impossible after one breath due to gagging and sooner or later, involunatary clamping off of the esphougus; (some with "sulfate" allergies could even die due to allergic reaction). [source: Wikipedia].
The commercial version can aid power in an internal combustion engine. At 565 deg. F, nitrous oxide (N20) breaks apart and forms two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. Inside an engine, this added oxygen speeds up the combustion process. Whenever nitrous is used, additional fuel is necessary, otherwise the added oxygen will result in a lean condition which will act as a blow-torch inside your engine. When used correctly, nitrous oxide can increase engine performance similar to a supercharger, turbo charger or a big bore cylinder kit. It does this by placing more oxygen (along with fuel in most systems) into the cylinder for combustion.
So, how do you get the right balance of fuel and nitrous to the engine so that you don't have a gremlin with a blow torch sitting on top of your piston? If nitrous flow was constant, then it would be a simple matter of adding an appropriate amount of fuel at the same time. The problem with nitrous is that it is not consistent. Nitrous bottle pressure can go up or down depending on outside environmental conditions. When it's cold, bottle pressure can dramatically fall off. This means less oxygen to your engine, which leads to a rich condition (too much fuel) and power loss. This is especially a problem in the snowmobile application. This is why users will heat bottles by placing commercially available bottle mounts near exhaust pipes to heat the nitrous. There are also bottle heaters (which are similar or the same as snowmobile handle bar grip heaters) to electrically heat nitrous bottles.
In the ATV sport, cooler outside conditions are rarer. In fact, with ATV applications the problem is more centered around too much outside heat, which has an effect on the bottle pressure by increasing it, which increases nitrous flow, which can lead to a lean condition (damn, there's that gremlin again!).
This dilemma has sparked a number of companies to figure out ways to tackle this problem. Holley NOS historically has relied on bottle pressure gauges so that users could then determine (through the use of very creative tables) how much extra fuel to add or subtract by the use of jets that control the fuel supply. Boondocker Liquid Nitrous does this by the use of their patented Nitrous Manifold which uses variable air pressure (generated by the nitrous bottle pressure) to add eqaually variable fuel via air pressure to the float bowl of a carburetor. In an EFI system, a pressure sensor senses bottle pressure changes which, (through the use of their EFI Control Box), calculates how much extra fuel that the injectors must add. Other systems focus on controlling the nitrous through nitrous pressure regulators so that the additional fuel flow is less complex of an issue. In theory, a nitrous pressure regulator would seem to take the complexity out of the problem with variable nitrous pressure.
Whichever system you choose the problem with nitrous is simply getting the correct amount of fuel to match the amount of nitrous (which is oxygen when heated) into your engine.
Each system has a way to tackle the core issues, which may or may not be in your best interst. However, In my opinion, I have yet to see a complete system with quality components, produce actual & true, reliable & consistent results.