{"id":14978,"date":"2021-12-31T02:05:42","date_gmt":"2021-12-31T06:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxtorqueperformance.com\/staging\/?p=14978"},"modified":"2021-12-31T02:08:02","modified_gmt":"2021-12-31T06:08:02","slug":"nitrous-oxide-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxtorqueperformance.com\/staging\/index.php\/2021\/12\/31\/nitrous-oxide-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Nitrous Oxide 101"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By\u00a0<\/span>BOB MCDONALD<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>AUGUST 26, 2021<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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Why is it that when people hear the term \u201cNitrous\u201d, they automatically assume that there is going to be an explosion? Nitrous along with turbos and superchargers have been around for decades and are all a part of the \u201cforced induction\u201d family. You don\u2019t ever hear things about turbos or superchargers in relation to massive explosions, but mention the word nitrous and people automatically picture their engine as the Nevada Atomic Test Range. Just for the record, there have many engine catastrophes with using all forms of forced induction.<\/p>\n

Nitrous has always gotten a bad rap, but that\u2019s partially due to the fact that it is the least understood power adder among the average gearhead. Nitrous is like anything else, it needs to be properly tuned. In order for it to be properly tuned, you have to get a basic understanding of what you are dealing with. If you purchase a nitrous kit today and follow the manufacturer\u2019s installation instructions and tuning tips, there really shouldn\u2019t be any problems.<\/p>\n

That said, let\u2019s go over some of the basics of a nitrous system and some tuning tips and maybe we can eliminate some of those frightening tales of \u201cNitrous engines gone bad\u201d. This article will just scratch the surface, as you can dive deep into the world of nitrous oxide theory and hardware. This is just meant to help you get a basic understanding of a very misunderstood topic.<\/p>\n

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Nitrous Oxide (N2<\/sub>O) has both medical and industrial uses. The industrial-grade gas has 100ppm Sulphur Dioxide added to it to make it extremely unpleasant to inhale. While medical-grade Nitrous Oxide is pure, the minute amount of SO2 in industrial Nitrous doesn\u2019t affect performance.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Basics of N2<\/sub>O<\/strong><\/h4>\n

First of all, let\u2019s cover what Nitrous really is. Nitrous technically is called Nitrous Oxide. This is because the scientific abbreviation is N2<\/sub>O in which we are all familiar with. This means that there are two nitrogen atoms with one oxygen atom. People often associate this with the term \u201cLaughing Gas\u201d because it has been used as an anesthetic in the medical field.<\/p>\n

There are generally two grades of Nitrous Oxide: medical grade and commercial grade. The medical-grade does have a higher purity rate for its intended purpose in the medical profession. The commercial-grade is what is used in our engines. The biggest difference between the two is that the commercial-grade is \u201ctainted\u201d with 100 parts-per-million of Sulfur Dioxide, which gives it somewhat of a foul odor. This was done intentionally to prevent improper use of the gas via inhalation.<\/p>\n

Nitrous Oxide does not occur naturally, it has to be manufactured. It is stored in a pressurized tank in liquid form at room temperature. When it is released into the atmosphere at ambient temperature it becomes a gas in a very endothermic phase change (it gets to -127 \u00b0F as it turns into a gas). Regardless of what you might hear or see in the movies, Nitrous Oxide is not flammable and it will not burn.<\/p>\n

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While Nitrous tanks are usually made out of aluminum, most companies offer modern lightweight tank options, like these carbon-fiber bottles from Nitrous Supply. They have to meet the same 1,800 psi minimum rating and have all the same safety features as the traditional bottles, at a lighter weight.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

That being said, Nitrous tanks have to be regularly certified to be able to withstand 1,800 psi. An additional safety feature, most Nitrous bottles are outfitted with what is known as a safety release disc which is made of copper or brass. If the bottle\u2019s pressure were to rise above the 1,800 psi mark, the safety disc is supposed to blow out and release the pressure in a more controlled manner to keep the tank from rupturing. Generally, Nitrous bottles are targeted for 850-1,000 psi working range, so the 1,800 psi rating allows for a significant safety margin.<\/p>\n

While the safety disc is a simple and effective means of protection, it does release all of the contents of the bottle once it is \u201creleased\u201d and can be hazardous in and of itself, which is why any sanctioning body will require the safety valve to vent to the outside of the vehicle. There are also various manufacturers of different styles of safety valves that will only vent small amounts of Nitrous without dumping the whole tank. Nitrous tank pressure for a Nitrous Oxide system is very important for proper operation.<\/p>\n

The Chemistry of Horsepower<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To be able to safely use Nitrous, we need to understand what happens when it\u2019s injected into an engine. There are two methods of injecting Nitrous, known as wet and dry. In a wet setup, additional fuel is injected into the engine along with the Nitrous. In a dry system, it\u2019s just the nitrous that\u2019s injected into the system, relying on the engine\u2019s existing fuel delivery system to enrich the mixture. Either way, nitrous requires additional fuel to make more horsepower.<\/p>\n

So, if Nitrous isn\u2019t flammable, how does it make that power? Nitrous is a chemical compound known as an Oxidizer that releases oxygen when reacting with another substance. With its chemical makeup, each molecule of Nitrous Oxide brings with it an oxygen atom. Additional oxygen allows more fuel to be burned. More fuel burned means more horsepower. Additionally, remember how we mentioned the cooling effect when it transitions from a liquid into a gas? That radically decreases the intake charge temperature making for a more dense intake charge. The increased charge density with the additional oxygen and fuel is what makes power.<\/p>\n

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As you can see here, Nitrous isn\u2019t flammable. Instead, it\u2019s an oxidizer, which means it will provide additional oxygen to another chemical reaction. By adding oxygen to the combustion process, Nitrous Oxide allows more fuel to be burned in the combustion process, and more power to be made.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The ratio of Nitrous to additional fuel is the key to making safe horsepower. You\u2019ll often hear people referring to jet sizes in a two or three-digit number. That is the orifice size, in thousandths of an inch, of the flow-restrictor in the line. In a wet kit, there will be a similar jet on the supplemental fuel line. By altering the size of the nitrous jet, more or less horsepower can be added. You then fine-tune the air-fuel ratio with the fuel jet size.<\/p>\n

Applying Nitrous Oxide Safely<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Where things go bad when using Nitrous, is often with the ignition timing. To really understand how to make power with Nitrous, we need to understand proper ignition timing with the increased rate of fuel burn along with expansion and cylinder pressure. No matter what, the ignition timing has to be changed when using nitrous to prevent engine damage.<\/p>\n

So far, we have discussed that additional oxygen along with additional fuel increases the burn rate during combustion. The accelerated burn rate itself does not increase horsepower. The accelerated burn rate however does create a rise in heat, which in turn creates more cylinder pressure. That additional cylinder pressure is what creates power. Controlling the peak cylinder pressure of the combustion event is the key to making maximum power. Peak combustion pressure is achieved when the air\/fuel mixture is ignited right before it reaches peak cylinder pressure (from piston compression) in the chamber.<\/p>\n

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