Fast Talk With Jeff Smith: Be Aware Of The Risks

The sport of auto racing and high performance automobiles is a socially accepted way of having fun. It comes with some inherent risks and dangers that everyone generally accepts. As our sport continues to grow and more people become involved, there is an assumption of knowledge with regard to the components we work with on a daily basis. It is human nature to be at first wary of new processes or ideas but then as we work around them, it’s easy to become complacent and even negligent with regard to the very real dangers that exist with these components.

Jeff Smith cropBecause I have spent the majority of my professional career writing technical articles for magazines and websites, I have made my share of mistakes and have been at the wrong end of some very real accusations about modifications to parts and pieces and the potential to cause bodily harm. I’ve always felt like my job was to not only inform and entertain but also to do my part to ensure my fellow gearheads are safe so that we can all enjoy our sport together.

All this is a lead-up to a certain cable television show I was watching. The show involves some talented people doing amazing things with very fast cars. One very short scene showed a regular participant on the show heating a nitrous bottle with a hand-held propane torch, applying the heat directly to the bottle. Among the sins that anyone can commit with a high performance vehicle, this may be one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make. This is potentially a life-threatening move. Worse yet — depending upon where you choose to perform this little ritual — an exploding bottle could kill or seriously maim the perpetrator and the resulting shrapnel could harm anyone else within close proximity.

Pressurized containers for working gasses like carbon dioxide, oxygen, or acetylene are commonly found around shops, as are nitrous bottles. People tend to treat gaseous fuel tanks with respect but since nitrous is not a fuel (although it is certainly an oxidizer), sometimes people forget that any container under 900 psi of pressure, it’s not whether the gas inside is flammable that is the problem. The issue is that the pressure inside an aluminum container at 900 psi is just like a bomb.

Here’s what happens. An open flame tends to concentrate heat on a localized area. This can cause even the tiniest hairline fracture in the bottle to open. With the inside pressure at 900 pounds per square inch – the failure will be instantaneous and the resulting shrapnel can cause serious bodily harm. There was a case in Los Angeles about two years ago where someone was heating a large nitrous bottle with an acetylene torch. The large bottle exploded, killing him instantly.

The reason for this message is not to embarrass the television show, but rather to emphasize the importance of showing the right way to do things. When televising a procedure like this that’s incredibly dangerous, young viewers may think it’s perfectly acceptable to heat a pressurized nitrous bottle with an open flame. It doesn’t matter that the show is intended purely as entertainment, the people behind the show have to be aware of their responsibilities to their audience. My assumption is that the owner/tuner of the vehicle should know better than to do this in the first place but he compounded his error by allowing the video production crew to film him doing it. The final offense was including this short segment in the show instead of editing this out.

If we’re going to tell how not to do this, then it’s also important to mention the proper way to heat a nitrous bottle. All nitrous companies sell electric bottle heaters that do a great job and also include thermostats that prevent overheating the bottle. They need to be directly and constantly monitored, but this is a safe way to add pressure. Another quick and completely safe way to heat a nitrous bottle is with a “bottle sauna” – usually vertical aluminum tubs that immerse the bottle in hot water. If you need to cool a bottle quickly, you can immerse it in ice water or just cover the bottle with a wet rag to reduce its temperature and pressure.

When treated with respect and handled properly, nitrous oxide is a great tool for making power. But ignore some basic principles of physics and unacceptable consequences will result.  As the man says, knowledge is power. But knowledge will also keep you alive.

-Jeff Smith

About the author

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith, a 35-year veteran of automotive journalism, comes to Power Automedia after serving as the senior technical editor at Car Craft magazine. An Iowa native, Smith served a variety of roles at Car Craft before moving to the senior editor role at Hot Rod and Chevy High Performance, and ultimately returning to Car Craft. An accomplished engine builder and technical expert, he will focus on the tech-heavy content that is the foundation of EngineLabs.
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