Nitrous Oxide Regulation System - Nitrous Pressure Games
Nitrous oxide, commonly referred to by its chemical composition, N2O, is made up of two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. When used in automotive applications, introducing the substance into the internal-combustion engine allows greater cylinder fill, and with it the potential for tremendous power gains, assuming that proper fuel delivery is maintained over the rpm range in which the nitrous oxide system is employed. For all the tremendous power benefits of nitrous, it would be fair to say that nitrous use, especially under higher-output systems, comes with the risks and common problems encountered by a majority of enthusiasts. Right at the top of the list is inconsistent performance caused by the basics of the nitrous system itself.
In order to operate at peak efficiency, a nitrous system is calibrated for a specific bottle pressure. According to Tom Darnell Jr., company co-owner of Nitrogen Assisted Nitrous Systems (NANO), nitrous manufacturers typically target bottle pressures of between 950-1,050 pounds of pressure in kits. Above the calibrated pressures, more nitrous is introduced into the engine due to higher pressures, resulting in the air/fuel ratio leaning out. Conversely, at pressures under the target, less nitrous is introduced, resulting in rich conditions. As the level of nitrous in the bottle(s) change, so too will the resulting bottle pressure. As both the amount of liquid and the bottle pressure vary with use and atmospheric conditions, variables are introduced that lead to inconsistent performance, sometimes with disastrous results.
In order to combat the variables that have plagued nitrous users for decades, NANO developed a Bolton nitrous regulation system (patent pending) that controls both the nitrous oxide density and bottle pressure. Tom Darnell relates, "By piggybacking a cylinder filled with either high-pressure air or high-pressure nitrogen onto either a standard 10- or 15-pound nitrous bottle inline with the nitrous, the highpressure gas ensures that the bottle pressure remains constant. In addition to consistent bottle pressures, the high pressure (air or nitrogen) forces all the contents of the nitrous bottle out, allowing the user to make additional runs, as every drop of nitrous will be expended. For years the only real management of bottle pressure has been the use of a bottle heater, and to a lesser degree, a bottle cooler."
Strap yourselves in as we roll on over to Real Performance Motorsports (RPM) in Lewisville, Texas, and dynotest a '02 Formula owned by Larry Morris of Denton, Texas, on RPM's dynojet 248 chassis dyno. In addition to hitting this 6.0-liter nitrous-huffing mill with a 175-dry shot, we go for broke and fog it to the tune of a 300-horse shot. In addition to dyno testing, it's off to Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas, to test the effectiveness of the NANO system on a single shot. Will the NANO system perform as advertised? And if so, could we unload a bottle heater, propane torch, and a slew of accessories to return our investment?
Drag Results
Tests were at Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas, which features a wellprepared eighth-mile track. In order to ensure consistency in testing, two full 10-pound nitrous bottles were brought to the test site. Both bottles were manufactured by Nitrous express; the only difference was that one bottle was set up with NANO-supplied hardware. For the initial set of tests, the bottle without NANO was tested. Prior to staging, a bottle heater was employed to raise the nitrous pressure to 1,200 psi, and upon purging the bottle pressure dropped to the manufacturer's recommendation of 1,050 psi. At the completion of each run the bottle heater was turned back on and the process was repeated for the three recorded runs. In all runs the bottle pressure was 1,050 psi upon launch, and it fell to 850 psi at the end of the track.
For the NANO tests, no bottle heater was used. Upon opening the NANO and setting the pressure to 1,050 psi, the bottle maintained that pressure after purging. A total of three runs were recorded with the NANO and the bottle pressure remained at 1,050 from the beginning to the end of the run.
INFO BASELINE NANO Temperature (F) 82.9 81.0 Barometric Pressure 29.74 29.75 BASELINE NANO GAIN 60-foot Time Best 1.35 1.32 .03 60-foot Time Avg. 1.36 1.33 .03 1/8th-Mile mph Best 111.05 112.83 1.78 1/8th-Mile mph Avg. 110.63 112.73 2.10 1/8th-mile Time Best 6.15 6.08 .07 1/8th-mile Time Avg 6.16 6.10 .06
Dyno Results
Tests were conducted on a Dynojet 248 chassis dynamometer equipped with a wide-band O2 sensor. All horsepower and torque readings were converted back to sae. Average horsepower and torque were taken from 4,100-6,900 rpm. Since the TA was equipped with a Turbo 400 automatic transmission and a 3,400-stall Vigilante torque converter, the car was pulled in Third gear. Rather than simply romping on it, which caused the car to downshift into Second (and invalidate the dyno pull), the throttle was eased down until just over 3,400 rpm and then mashed to the gunwales.
CONFIGURATION-175 SHOT INFO BASELINE NANO Intake Air Temp Deg 100.2 98.7 Vapor Pressure (In. Hg) .46 .47 Barometric Pressure 29.37 29.34 Correction Factor (SAE) 1.04 1.04 Air/Fuel ratio Avg. 11.6 11.3 BASELINE NANO GAIN Horsepower 579.2 604.5 25.3 Average Horsepower 559.3 587.5 28.2 Torque 661.4 708.7 47.3 Average Torque 546.0 573.5 27.4
CONFIGURATION-300 SHOT INFO BASELINE NANO Intake Air Temp Deg 111.2 100.3 Vapor Pressure (In.Hg) .32 .29 Barometric Pressure 30.19 29.52 Correction Factor (SAE) 1.01 1.03 Air/Fuel ratio Avg. 11.4 11.3 BASELINE NANO GAIN Horsepower 714.3 761.8 47.5
Conclusion
After getting out the components of the NANO kit, it was apparent that installation was going to be a snap. Any enthusiast who owns an adjustable wrench and a few hand tools can easily install the system in 15 minutes or less. The biggest decision to make when installing the system is whether to piggyback the NANO high-pressure air/ high-pressure nitrogen cylinder onto your existing nitrous bottle or mount it in an adjacent area such as a rollbar.
After witnessing the first pull on the dyno, where the fluctuations in the horsepower and torque curves as the rpm was elevated and the bottle pressure started dropping without the NANO system enabled, it worried me that the air/fuel ratio was on a march upward once the engine crested 6,000 rpm. Bottle pressure had dipped on a full bottle from a pre-dyno pull psi of 1,050 all the way down to 850. Clearly, to get the bottle back up to 1,050, a bottle-heater or track-sid "propane torch" would have been necessary, but as the contents of the bottle declined, the air/fuel ratio would have steadily increased. In contrast, when the NANO system's valve was opened and the on-board regulator was set to 1,050, the engine maintained that nitrous pressure for the duration of the dyno run. Simply maintaining a constant pressure over the duration of the dyno run resulted in outstanding gains of 25.3 horsepower and 47.3 lb-ft of torque. Subsequent pulls on the dyno as the contents of the bottle decreased showed no changes in torque or horsepower output. Simply put, the NANO system worked. As the size of the nitrous shot increases, so too does the variability in output due to the amount of nitrous being flowed to the engine. Although no tuning was completed for this article, one look at the horsepower chart for the 300-shot shows none of the wild variability in power production sans the NANO. A gain of 47.5 hp on the 300-shot was impressive. Track testing was conducted only on a 175-shot, mainly because it was first necessary to be able to pull consistent 60-foot and eighth-mile times without the NANO before testing could begin. Although eighth-mile times averaged just under a tenth better, the real potential of the system can be seen in mph and mph average with and without NANO. Running close to 2 mph faster in the eighth-mile shows that the horsepower and torque gains shown on the dyno were pretty much on the money. Had time permitted, it's entirely possible the car could have picked up 1.5 to 2 tenths running the 1,320.
If you are a dyed-in-the-wool nitrous junkie who either occasionally squeezes your car on a Saturdaynight cruise or heads out to the track to run as hard as possible, strongly consider the NANO system. HPA is readily available for a minimal cost at any paintball or scuba shop, and the benefits of making reliable, repeatable power far outweigh the cost of the system. According to Darnell, "Our customers rave about the consistency they achieve with the system. No longer does a racer or enthusiast have to fight inconsistent air/fuel ratios at the top of the track with potentially catastrophic consequences." Even if you were racing in Antarctica, a bottle heater wouldn't be necessary, as the high-pressure air will put your nitrous pressure at whatever you set it at. In addition to consistent track passes, every drop of nitrous is utilized. For those of you hesitant to run nitrous on your LS-series mill, think again, as the days of running inconsistent times at the track or leaning out your motor after you miscount the number of times you juiced up your ride are distant Memories.

Photo Gallery: Nitrous Oxide Regulation System - Nitrous Pressure Games - GM High Tech Performance



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