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Did you know....I didn't
miles
Member Posts: 2,548 ✭✭✭✭✭
A Top fuel/ Funny Car turns less than 600 RPM's from the go light to finish line at 6000+ RPM's and less than 4 seconds. I know how that sounds but, do the math.
It takes almost a thousand horse power just to run the supercharger on a Nitro Fueled Funny car/Dragster.
From start-up to end of run(about a minute) they burn as much as 23 gallons of fuel in one pass and their fuel line looks like a fire hose.
Gasoline has much more energy than Nitro. Wonder why they don't burn gas?
The cylinders are almost completely full of raw fuel to the point of almost hydrolocking.
I did the research after someone told me these things and was amazed.
There are other facts that got my attention but I'll let you find them for yourself as your homework/reading assignment tonight.[8D]
It takes almost a thousand horse power just to run the supercharger on a Nitro Fueled Funny car/Dragster.
From start-up to end of run(about a minute) they burn as much as 23 gallons of fuel in one pass and their fuel line looks like a fire hose.
Gasoline has much more energy than Nitro. Wonder why they don't burn gas?
The cylinders are almost completely full of raw fuel to the point of almost hydrolocking.
I did the research after someone told me these things and was amazed.
There are other facts that got my attention but I'll let you find them for yourself as your homework/reading assignment tonight.[8D]
Comments
all your points are correct, by the way, maybe not the one about a fire hose.......1 inch or 1 1/4' is a small "fire hose".[:D]
600 RPM for 4 seconds is 400 revolutions of the crankshaft.
On a similar note, a bullet traveling down a 1:12 twist barrel at 2700 fps is spinning at 162,000 RPM, and will have rotated 1,320 times over that same quarter mile.
Brad Steele
The saving grace? There is so much blow by past the rings that the oil pan fills w/ that nasty Nitro/Alky mix.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5lrMWszCR4
"What you see is the approximate fuel flow for 1 cylinder during an idle situation. After ~15 seconds the rpm will jump to 8000, opening 2 additional nozzles and increase the fuel flow to amazing 8 gallons per minute, per cylinder for a total of 64 GPM during the run."
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.
* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger.
* With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.
* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!
* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.
* The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter-mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 333.00 MPH (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run (09/28/03, Doug Kalitta).
Putting this all into perspective:
Lets say the you are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06.
Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass by it. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH. Just as you pass the Top Fuel Dragster the 'tree' goes green for both of you.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it - from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 MPH & not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race!
That's acceleration!
A T/F engine idles at aprox.2300 RPM.
You'll never convince me that a T/F dragster leaves the line/tree at a mere 600RPM.
A T/F engine idles at aprox.2300 RPM.
No one is trying to convince you that it is a fact. A top fuel engine only turns around 600 revolutions during a run, green light to finish line. They run 8000rpm wide open during the run.
They burn nitro rather than gasoline because it requires less O2 for the combustion. O2 is always the limiting factor in a gasoline engine... there is so little O2 in Air, volumetrically.
The never-ending question.
Is it the alcohol that burns, or is it the oxygen...
Brad Steele
quote:Originally posted by Mr. Perfect
They burn nitro rather than gasoline because it requires less O2 for the combustion. O2 is always the limiting factor in a gasoline engine... there is so little O2 in Air, volumetrically.
The never-ending question.
Is it the alcohol that burns, or is it the oxygen...
Well, it's a chemical reaction that adds oxygen to the hydrocarbon chain; an oxidation reaction that is highly exothermic.[:I]
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
quote:Originally posted by Don McManus
quote:Originally posted by Mr. Perfect
They burn nitro rather than gasoline because it requires less O2 for the combustion. O2 is always the limiting factor in a gasoline engine... there is so little O2 in Air, volumetrically.
The never-ending question.
Is it the alcohol that burns, or is it the oxygen...
Well, it's a chemical reaction that adds oxygen to the hydrocarbon chain; an oxidation reaction.[:I]
If you carried an air bottle on a planet with a natural gas atmosphere, would it have to be labeled 'flammable'?
Brad Steele
quote:Originally posted by Mr. Perfect
quote:Originally posted by Don McManus
quote:Originally posted by Mr. Perfect
They burn nitro rather than gasoline because it requires less O2 for the combustion. O2 is always the limiting factor in a gasoline engine... there is so little O2 in Air, volumetrically.
The never-ending question.
Is it the alcohol that burns, or is it the oxygen...
Well, it's a chemical reaction that adds oxygen to the hydrocarbon chain; an oxidation reaction.[:I]
If you carried an air bottle on a planet with a natural gas atmosphere, would it have to be labeled 'flammable'?
I'm not familiar with the reach of OSHA, but I doubt they have powers even outside the US, but bottles of O2 are so labeled here.[:I]
Riddle me this, why are flammable and inflammable synonyms?
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
quote:Originally posted by fishkiller41
You'll never convince me that a T/F dragster leaves the line/tree at a mere 600RPM.
A T/F engine idles at aprox.2300 RPM.
No one is trying to convince you that it is a fact. A top fuel engine only turns around 600 revolutions during a run, green light to finish line. They run 8000rpm wide open during the run.
Is your point that the 600 rev's is the amount between start & finish because the car goes so fast down the track, and it would complete the run before the engine had time for no more than 600 rev's?
That was how I comprehended it.
quote:Originally posted by Don McManus
quote:Originally posted by Mr. Perfect
They burn nitro rather than gasoline because it requires less O2 for the combustion. O2 is always the limiting factor in a gasoline engine... there is so little O2 in Air, volumetrically.
The never-ending question.
Is it the alcohol that burns, or is it the oxygen...
Well, it's a chemical reaction that adds oxygen to the hydrocarbon chain; an oxidation reaction that is highly exothermic.[:I]
...not only that,,it makes the wheels go around,,[;)][;)]
Top Fuel dragster fuel pump demo.[8D]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5lrMWszCR4
"What you see is the approximate fuel flow for 1 cylinder during an idle situation. After ~15 seconds the rpm will jump to 8000, opening 2 additional nozzles and increase the fuel flow to amazing 8 gallons per minute, per cylinder for a total of 64 GPM during the run."
Cool link,thanks,,[8D][8D][8D]
quote:Originally posted by 35WhelenClassic
quote:Originally posted by fishkiller41
You'll never convince me that a T/F dragster leaves the line/tree at a mere 600RPM.
A T/F engine idles at aprox.2300 RPM.
No one is trying to convince you that it is a fact. A top fuel engine only turns around 600 revolutions during a run, green light to finish line. They run 8000rpm wide open during the run.
Is your point that the 600 rev's is the amount between start & finish because the car goes so fast down the track, and it would complete the run before the engine had time for no more than 600 rev's?
That was how I comprehended it.
That's it exactly.[:)]
You'll never convince me that a T/F dragster leaves the line/tree at a mere 600RPM.
A T/F engine idles at aprox.2300 RPM.
nobodys trying to.
what is being said is that the engine makes less than 600 revolution during the run.
its phrased very poorly. it should read as i have written it. the "rpms" leads to confusion and shouldnt be there. the motor is turning much faster than 600 rpm, but is only doing so for a brief period of time.
What would happen ifn you were to inject pure oxygen into the system at any point.
8000/60*4.44=592.
What would happen ifn you were to inject pure oxygen into the system at any point.
liquid O2 is the way to go, really.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain