Many of us would have come across the term Nitro boost or ‘NOS’
in race cars and bikes. With the push of a button, we get a sudden surge in
power and torque which helps us to overtake our opponents. The question is, how
this nitro boost works and what enables the engine to produce a surge in power?
This article is to throw some light on the working of
Nitrous Oxide and the working of it. Before that, we have to understand what
causes an internal combustion engine to produce power. The power produced is
the result of chemical reaction between air and fuel. Air contains nitrogen (approx.
78%) and oxygen (approx. 21%) and some other gases. Nitrogen gas in
non-combustible and doesn’t take part in the chemical reaction. We have only
oxygen left to help with the combustion. Hence, we can conclude that oxygen is
required to burn fuel.
If we can increase the amount of oxygen intake to the
engine, the amount of fuel intake can also be increased, and as a result we can
increase the power output of the engine. The whole idea of nitrous oxide is to
provide the engine with excess oxygen in order to increase the power output
from the engine.
A nitrous oxide tank consists of ammonia nitrate, nitrous
oxide and other varieties of nitrogen gas stored in liquid state, but it
becomes gas when exposed to atmospheric conditions. As a result of
vaporization, nitrous oxide significantly reduces the intake air temperature.
Cold air has more oxygen density and increases the overall volumetric efficiency
of a cylinder. With oxygen content increased, we can also supply more fuel to
burn and produce excess power.
Types of Nitrous
System:
·
Wet
Nitrous System: In this system, nitrous oxide is mixed with fuel and
sprayed in the intake manifold. This makes the inside of the walls of the
manifold wet. A special type of nozzle is used to meter the fuel and nitrous in
required amounts and then inject it in the manifold. The air-fuel mixture
formed should result in proper atomization to gain more power. This system is
more efficient than the dry type.
·
Dry
Nitrous System: In this system, only nitrous oxide is injected in the
intake manifold. Fuel is injected through a separate fuel injector. Nitrous
oxide vaporizes resulting in cooling of air. The increase in the density of
oxygen can be detected by mass air flow (MAF) sensor, and the ECU after
receiving the signals can direct the electronic fuel injector to increase the
timing it remains open to inject fuel. The additional fuel introduced can burn
with the excess oxygen to provide additional power.
Do flames come out of
the exhaust when we use Nitro?
This is also a common question inspired by the video games
and movies. But the answer is no. Flames cannot come out of the exhaust pipes
with the application of nitro.
