[AT] Fw: Food (Supercharged and Nitro Powered!) for Thought]

[Michael Miller]

Mark,
    Next time your up at the track give me a holler.  I live about 10 
minutes up 18, and like meeting ATIS'ers.



Mike


>From: "Mark Greer" <greerfam at raex.com>
>Reply-To: Antique tractor email discussion group 
><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] Fw: Food (Supercharged and Nitro Powered!) for Thought]
>Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 00:21:19 -0400
>
>You have to experience this at a track like Norwalk Raceway in Norwalk Ohio
>where you can get up close near the starting line. There is nothing like 
>it.
>The exhaust almost pushes you over when one of these dragsters takes off.
>Everyone should see this at least once in their lifetime.
>Mark
>
> > Thought you guys would like this. JC
> > John Cable
> > CABLEKNIVES of GR
> > Grand Rapids, MI
> >
> > Dragster Acceleration
> >
> > * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
> > than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
> > * Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of
> > nitromethane 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 drive the
> > dragster 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 (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by
> > which quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are
> > determined) 17:1 air/fuel mixture for nitromethane the flame front
> > temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
> > * Nitromethane 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 ½
> > 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.
> > * In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate
> > an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph well before
> > half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.
> > * Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed
> > reading this sentence..
> > * 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 9500rpm.
> > * The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew
> > worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an
> > estimated $1,000.00 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 all of this into perspective:
> > 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
> > and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the
> > advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the
> > gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an
> > honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
> > The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down
> > hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums
> > and within 3 seconds the dragster catches and 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
> > and not
> > only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you
> > within a mere 1320 foot long race course.
> >
> > That folks, is acceleration
> >
> >
> >
> >
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