More Air or perhaps more O2

[F350Driver]

I was sitting back thinking a few days back (A dangerous thing in itself) and got to analyzing why pushing more air into a diesel makes for better performance, etc. Then I realized, more air is going to mean more O2. More oxygen.

So..... Taking this a bit futher, has anyone ever played with the idea of taking an O2 tank, plumbing into the intake and increasing the oxygen level some to get more combustion potential. After all, more fuel means nothing if you don't have the catalyst for it to combust.

I know from being involved with some medical products that many compounds become much more flammable in elevated oxygen environments and things that are already flammable will have lower flash points.

I am seriously considering testing this out, carefully of course, but wanted to see if there is anyone who had attempted this or know of any results, good or bad, from any any experiments that have been done.

If I try it and blow my engine through the hood, I'll let everyone know what not to do. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[travis23]

a guy at work his friend tried it on a drag car and made some pretty holes in his pistons but that was gas engine give it a try watch the pyrometer.

[tim94f250]

Oxygen + oil = boom Using oxygen anywhere near oil is a bad idea. A friend of mine is still picking pieces of brass out of his face 10 years after introducing oxygen to oil.

[BuilderBob]

The cost will hurt, if not kill your idea.

[F350Driver]

Rodger all that. Maybe not my best idea.

[gregrob]

What would be the difference in this and nitrous? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img] I mean why don't you stick with something that is proven to work.

The difference in O2 and N2O is that you can control the nitrous much better, meaning it's more predictable.

Also not volatile with oil, as others have mentioned that O2 is.

[fellro86]

because Nitrous won't be able to go out of control and melt your vehicle down... While I was working at a fabrication shop, they had a rep from the oxygen and other gases supply company come out and talk with us on safety. He had a small glob of melted metal he took for demonstration. I was from a fire scene he had been asked to come to. A guy had been using a torch in his home shop, where the semi tractor was parked. Somehow or another, the rep says likely a regulator failure from a bit of dirt in the regulator, the oxygen tank got lit up, (likely the dirt) and melted the semi tractor into that little glob of metal. There was nothing left of anything in the building, the fire got that hot, with the introduction of that much oxygen that fast. A cutting torch does not melt metal, it BURNS it. Not to mention the hazardous material permit that you would need to keep it on your truck all the time... Just way too much risk in messing with oxygen like that. The guys that run around with the hoses still hooked up to the cutting torch in the back of their trucks are asking for catastrophic failure. I take the hoes loose and cap that tank before I go on the road at all. If simple spec of dirt in a reglator can cause it to light, blow the regulator, and melt down a building and heavy truck, I don't think it is something to take lightly. Nitrous is more controlled than what pure oxygen is. Nitorus helps introduce oxygen, but not that strong a mix.

[Swervin]

IMHO, the tried and true performance enhancements are opening up the air and exhaust, a turbo and propane injection.

[TurboIHPower]

I agree 100% with Fellro86. I was going to say the same thing about the regulators until I scrolled down and read that he had beat me to it. I dont think I would take the chance of trying it.

[F350Driver]

Well, It's not very likely I'll go forward at this point. My path would have likely been to try simply an elevated oxygen mix such as Nitrox. (Enriched oxygen mix for scuba, usually between 32 - 36 % O2 versus the 21% in our normal air)

I even thought I may try it out on an old diesel 3-cyl tractor that is pretty worthless but, I am aware of the dangers of highly elevated O2. Even in Scuba, all equipment has to be specially maintained and use specific materials that are rated for oxygen use.

Just to make sure everyone knows their physics here, oxygen itself is in no way, shape or form, combustable. It is only the catalyst. However, in higher concentrations, it is a much more powerful catalyst so that things that have very little or no flammability concerns in normal atmosphere become increasingly flammable as the O2 % increases. Hydrocarbons (oil in this case) is a perfect example as indicated above. I am involved with products that have to go through an O2 compatible cleaning process for medical equipment so I am indeed aware of the dangers.

I simply like to experiment and I always do my research, thus the reason I broached the subject here first. I am making this statement simply so the people reading this won't think I am some reckless fool who does really stupid things (at least not since my 20's).

However the feedback is appreciated, it's what I was looking for and it tells me that there have been no good results with this idea.

And finally, though I am unable to recall the author of this statement and even the quote may not be exact but, it was stated that "Discoveries nearly always are made by people that are thought to be crazy. Only when the proof is shown and the benefits are seen will the poeple praise the crazy one"

[Dave Haven]

[ QUOTE ]
It is only the catalyst.

[/ QUOTE ]Technically speaking, Oxygen is not a catalyst, it's a reactant. It's an oxidizer. A catalyst only facilitates a reaction; it doesn't participate in it.

[F350Driver]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It is only the catalyst.

[/ QUOTE ]Technically speaking, Oxygen is not a catalyst, it's a reactant. It's an oxidizer. A catalyst only facilitates a reaction; it doesn't participate in it.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are correct, I chose the wrong term.

[IDMT]

Contrary to popular belief, O2 in itself does not burn, it promotes combustion by increasing one of the three elements needed for fire. When I taught chemistry I use to do an experiment placing O2 into a 4" metal pipe open on one end and then dropping a lit cigarette into the pipe. The reuslting explosion would literally disintegrate and burn up the cigarette. And that was with the O2 under no pressure at all. Imagine if the O2 had been under compressed to 25:1. The resulting explosion would have caused the pipe I was using to become nothing but shrapnel. Thus, if you tried injecting O2 directly into the high compression chambers of your diesel engine it would explode violently blowing your pistons apart and sending your rods through the block.

All the experiments I did when teaching were done under very strict, controlled, circumstances with safety being paramount. Please don't ever mess pure O2 unless you are experienced and have taken all the necessary steps to ensure your safety and the safety of everyone else.

[Dave Haven]

I've forced oxygen into the back end of a cigar (with an oxy-acetylene torch). It makes a cigar burn like a road flare. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]