Mechanical World: Nitrous Oxide Systems

NOS or nitrous oxide - a familiar name among drag racers and those who are crazy about speed and power. This gas also called as laughing gas, was once used as an anesthetic for minor surgeries, yet now being widely used in automobiles and other propulsion systems. Many would have seen NOS system in action while racing in the movie- fast and furious. Due to its superb property as an oxidizer, this gas is used in boosting up the performance of bikes and cars. Along with instant acceleration it also increases the horsepower of engines. A nitrous oxide system is one which delivers NOS with right quantity to the engine. Generally air is required to burn the fuel inside the engine.

The air contains oxygen which is the supporter of combustion to take place. More the quantity of oxygen in air, the more complete and efficient the combustion will be. Based on this the usage of NOS is employed in automobiles.

A gas molecule of nitrous oxide contains one oxygen atom and two nitrogen atoms. So when its being fed and ignited inside the combustion chamber of an engine, it releases a great number of oxygen atoms.

This sudden increase of oxygen level inside the chamber causes more fuel to burn effectively at an instant of time, delivering tremendous power. It's just like an additional supplement for boosting the performance. In our country, these systems are not being widely used and street legal till the date when compared to west.

A nitrous oxide system can be classified under two categories - a dry fogger type and wet fogger type.

The key difference between the two systems are simple. The dry fogger type uses a nozzle or port to inject only the NOS without any injection of fuel. A wet fogger type uses two nozzles or ports. One nozzle feeds fuel and another feeds NOS. It injects the fuel along with NOS combined to a throttle body or directly inside the combustion chamber.

The wet fogger type is usually complex and generates more power when compared to dry fogger type.

A Simple Layout

The complexity is due to the delivery of fuel along with NOS. In this, an increase in quantity of fuel has to be made while NOS is being injected to engine.

Nitrous oxide systems are manufactured under various brands. The top international brands are NOS & Nitrous Xpress (NX).

Using NOS in motorcycle.

In fuel injected motorcycles the nitrous oxide system can be equipped with wet fogger system. Along with a fuel injector, a nozzle for wet fogger can be used. For carburetor based motorcycles the dry fogger system can be fixed. Likewise, the same scheme can be applied for cars too. A solenoid valve is used to operate and regulate the flow of NOS into the engine. A solenoid valve is an electronically controlled valve.

NOS kit In Suzuki GSX-R

The nitrous oxide manufactured for automobiles may contain small amounts of sulphur dioxide, hence its even more harmful if inhaled and it should be handled with care. Inhalation can be fatal and contact with skin causes frostbite. Apart from that it also has some drawbacks when using it in automobiles.

NOS damages engine and its components like pistons and valves under prolonged usage, since it produces rapid combustion which liberates high heat, power and excess stress to piston, rings and other components. So it's suited only to motor racing which uses high performance engines, and especially during drags.