Random Question about Nitrous Oxide

[Dr. Gonzo]

I understand the basics on how nitrous oxide works and allows an internal combustion engine to make more power; more air = more fuel can be burned = more power. My question is (and I'm sure some people will probably think it's a stupid one), if nitrous is just an oxygenator, why can't compressed oxygen be used in lieu of it?

 

[DHG1078]

I understand the basics on how nitrous oxide works and allows an internal combustion engine to make more power; more air = more fuel can be burned = more power. My question is (and I'm sure some people will probably think it's a stupid one), if nitrous is just an oxygenator, why can't compressed oxygen be used in lieu of it?

I think you are thinking of superchargers/turbochargers.

 

[helloWorld]

Did some quick research and I found this on some car forum:

I can tell you right now what the problems will be.

First, adding pure oxygen will reduce the proportion of nitrogen in the engine, and it is nitrogen that is the real working fluid in the engine.

Nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere, it is inert and does not burn.
But what it does do is expand when heated, and it is that expansion of nitrogen that actually pushes the piston down the bore.

If you reduce the proportion of nitrogen, and increase both oxygen and fuel, you will end up with MUCH hotter combustion, but also much less expansion, and lower combustion pressures.
Much more heat and fury, but with less torque and power production.

People figured all this out over a hundred years ago, so what is the answer?

The answer is to add both more oxygen and more nitrogen together. That creates more heat, but more importantly it creates much higher combustion pressures, which is what we are really trying to do to make power.

So how do you add both more oxygen and more nitrogen?
Two ways.
A supercharger just forces in more atmosphere (oxygen + nitrogen) and works great.
The proportions stay the same, and it is relatively trouble free.
Second way is adding nitrous oxide, or nitromethane, both add both oxygen and nitrogen, and also work great.

Adding pure oxygen is just dumb.
It can produce slightly more power, but at the cost of hugely increased combustion temperatures and much faster combustion.
It will go into severe detonation very early, long before it makes anywhere near as much power as adding both oxygen + nitrogen together.

All this is nothing new, it is knowledge that has been around for about 100 years.
Supercharging works.
Nitrous oxide works.
Nitromethane works.
Pure oxygen does not.
End of story.

Seems like nitrous oxide has the added benefit of cooling the combustion chambers, similar to what E85 does.

 

[BigPoppa]

Pure oxygen would allow the combustion flame to get too hot, most likely melting the internals. Pure oxygen has the neat tendency to turn almost any material into a fuel.

As stated before, the nitrogen acts to displace the oxygen once the oxygen atom breaks free during combustion resulting in less oxidizing and keeping the combustion temps cooler.

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

I think you are thinking of superchargers/turbochargers.

Ahh, 'chargers increase the cylinder pressure above atmospheric, ie. boost. Mechanical

Nitrous Oxide is an oxygenator. Chemical

Both allow for more fuel to be burned, which makes more power.

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Pure oxygen would allow the combustion flame to get too hot, most likely melting the internals. Pure oxygen has the neat tendency to turn almost any material into a fuel.

As stated before, the nitrogen acts to displace the oxygen once the oxygen atom breaks free during combustion resulting in less oxidizing and keeping the combustion temps cooler.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[bit]

Nitrogen is an inert element allowing it to pass through the combustion process unchanged. It this scenario the Nitrogen absorbs heat from the combustion process.

 

[BOOGIE MAN]

Layman's terms: Less pop, more burn. Heat (burn) is bad

 

[4a7191a]

I used pure oxygen to Lance ladles open at work. It burns a rod of black iron for fuel. Not sure how hot it is but through super dark burners glasses it's still white like staring into the sun .
Id be curious what it would do in a combustion engine but not my motors . Lol
Nos in a car is for cooling intake temps, allows more oxygen and thus more fuel and the offset is more power.
Ive been leaning on doing a 100shoot on my Mach for years. It'll happen one day

 

[DHG1078]

I used pure oxygen to Lance ladles open at work. It burns a rod of black iron for fuel. Not sure how hot it is but through super dark burners glasses it's still white like staring into the sun .
Id be curious what it would do in a combustion engine but not my motors . Lol
Nos in a car is for cooling intake temps, allows more oxygen and thus more fuel and the offset is more power.
Ive been leaning on doing a 100shoot on my Mach for years. It'll happen one day

Maybe i'm interpreting your sentence wrong, but the nitrous oxide is the source of the extra oxygen.

 

[4a7191a]

Not exactly. From the source quote......

On Intake Temperatures. Cooler intake air is denser and therefore contains more oxygen, which will allow more fuel to be burned and in turn make more power. Just a 10 degree drop in temperature has the potential to increase an engines power by up to 1.5%.

 

[4a7191a]

Colder is always better unless your in a lightning with stock internals running extra boost. 50 degrees is my cut off point though my truck was tuned on a 40 degree day.

 

[DHG1078]

Colder is always better unless your in a lightning with stock internals running extra boost. 50 degrees is my cut off point though my truck was tuned on a 40 degree day.

Cooler air is always a good thing, and Nitrous does have that added benefit, but air contains about 78% nitrogen, and 21% oxygen.

Nitrous oxide contains 1 oxygen for every 2 nitrogen particles, or above 33% oxygen.

 

[RedVenom48]

The oxygen carried in N2O is released as the temperature increases via the compression of the air fuel mixture. As used in a naturally aspirated car, the gain is simply from the compression release of oxygen and added fuel in a hopefully wet shot.

On boosted cars such as the GT500, spraying the wet shot just after the throttle body has a supercooling effect on the discharged air. When air is compressed as it is from a supercharger it increases in tempurature. Nitrous, when it changed from its stored compressed liquid form to a usable gas via the injector solenoid it comes out at about -167F. You want to talk about cooling your discharge temps, that will do it.

That very dense compressed air combined with the nitrous gas and fuel vapor enter the combustion chamber mucj cooler than normal and allow the ignition timing to be advanced as far as the tuner has allowed it to go. Thats why a boosted car will respond so well to nitrous. And obiously, of course, the extra oxygen and fuel make a much more powerful release of energy pushing down on the piston.

 

[ford fanatic]

The oxygen carried in N2O is released as the temperature increases via the compression of the air fuel mixture. As used in a naturally aspirated car, the gain is simply from the compression release of oxygen and added fuel in a hopefully wet shot.

On boosted cars such as the GT500, spraying the wet shot just after the throttle body has a supercooling effect on the discharged air. When air is compressed as it is from a supercharger it increases in tempurature. Nitrous, when it changed from its stored compressed liquid form to a usable gas via the injector solenoid it comes out at about -167F. You want to talk about cooling your discharge temps, that will do it.

That very dense compressed air combined with the nitrous gas and fuel vapor enter the combustion chamber mucj cooler than normal and allow the ignition timing to be advanced as far as the tuner has allowed it to go. Thats why a boosted car will respond so well to nitrous. And obiously, of course, the extra oxygen and fuel make a much more powerful release of energy pushing down on the piston.

This.

I know guys years ago running a 50 shot on their supercharged foxbodies just as a means of cooling things down.