I have always used Angus Nitro in my fuel mix, however recently a chinese alternative has come on the market here in Oz with exactly the same purity claims as Angus.

Has anyone out there any first hand experience in using this stuff please that they would like to share?

Thanks

TC

Edited for spelling []

Chinese is the only thing I'll use. I don't have a lot of experience with domestic nitro but I can say good things about Chinese stuff. I've used it for about 12 years. I find it is superior and seek it out over USA produced.

Bill Vail

Ok I have used both "Angus" and chinese nitros

there is much debate about these two products being from the same scource in china

In the 3 years i have been making fuels professionally for RC i have to say the Chinese stuff wins hands down. it has more poke and the purity level is higher generally speaking

Angus nitro as stated on the Dow chemichal site is 98% pure, it is cut by 2 % with something , but as of the 18th Jan this year the US stopped supply of Angus nitro to australia

Chinese nirto depending on its sourse is anywhere from 99 to 99.9 pure

Interesting thing i have experienced, I bought Angus and Chinese nitro and had both tested and they were the exact same produt.

So either way its all good.

Anly stuff to watch out for is if the nitro has a chlorine smell, if it does id recommend not using it, i have and with little side effects and dang it has some poke but its not recommended for engine use

hope this helps !

Cheers MM

Sooo, what is wrong with VP nitro? Does the Chinese nitro use an indicator? If not what do you do to make sure it is safe?

Thanks to alll for your prompt replies.

I have been told that the Chinese Nitro may contain an amount of acetone in the mix and perhaps also some methanol dillution. Are any of you aware of this (the use of acetone) and if so is it cause for concern?

Thanks again

TC

There's no problem with acetone and some will even add it, especially with zero nitro fuels. Shell methanol has it as standard at 3%. I'm no expert on nitro but I believe that pure nitro can become shock sensitive which is why a dye is added to show if it's still safe or not. Diluting pure nitro with a tiny amount (maybe 1%?) of methanol stops it becoming shock sensitive. Or so I've read.....

Go with the Chinese stuff, it's great. I use it all the time.

Thanks again guys,

Great stuff!!!!

TC [8D]

Doesnt make a difference. To be honest I think Angus Nitromenthane is over-rated. I have found NO difference between the two. There is nothing wrong with using the cheap stuff.

The dye is yellow and is required in all racing fuel in the US. Not sure if the methanol helps or not. But it buying nitro with a purity higher than the indicator percentage, then there is a greater chance that it would become shock sensitive. Unless I had equipment to take care of this I would worry about the fuel not having the indicator.

Nitromethane density is 1.13816 so its purity is rather easy to check using a scale and a (litre) cup.

I think every other soluble liquids are lighter, metranol density is 0.81

How does that help you to detect that it is shock sensitive? It doesn't help one bit. I am not even sure the density changes when it becomes shock sensitive. It may degrade using all contents withoug gassing off, in which case the density may remain the same.

If you suspect Nitro to become "shock sensitive" you should dilute methanol to it and destroy as official department has instructed. This is how I read the user booklet which comes with Nitro.

I even add some oil to the mixture and ...

There is a possible danger in Nitro. Mixed with Alkalines makes Nitro some sort of explosive.

I once mixed 2 litres Nitro with 2 litres AeroSave in 10 litre can and shaked. It become green so the yellow "marker product" did react correctly because AeroSave contains rust inhibitor which is some sort of alkaline.

Without the dye you won't know if it is shock sensitive. How much methanol would you have to add to keep it form turning?

I believe 60 to 70 percent methanol and 20 percent oil makes Nitro non explosive in cans. More volatile to fire hazard though.

Nitro must be mixed with something and it needs a shell to explode efficiently. So it should not happen when modeling.

I am more concerned with a car crash while transporting a drum of nitro. I keep my model fuel in plastic jugs so no metal corrosion to cause alkali.

I understand. When I drove with two barrels of Nitro in my wan I got the same worry. But the weight of the barrels were more dangerous so I fasted them really good.

When barrell of Nitro was dropped from helicopter it did not explode. Because there is a risk Angus company does add the marker product to Racing Fuel. I did read this from their or others "user manual"

You are able to buy without the marker for example using in painting because in some processes the purity is important.

Once nitro is exposed to Ultraviolet light and heat for extended periods of time it can become sensitive. Once it is diluted into a 2 stroke mix its pretty safe. Nitro by nature will explode under pressure regardless of wether its become sensitive or not. if you get some nitro on the floor and hit it with a hammer it will explode, if you do it once its mixed it is less likely to explode as readily..BUT ! i strongly advise not to do this under any circumstances, it may result in injury .

Anyway wether the Nitro has an indicatior or not in it its a hazard to transport in its natural state.

Ultraviolet light may degrade nitro, but it does not make it contact sensitive, except if exposed to an alkali, which could be a metal. Nitro will not explode under pressure. In drag racing all nitro is required to contain a yellow indicator that turns purple when the nitro is contact sensitive. Even then it will not explode with a hammer on the bare liquid. I think you are getting this mixed up with nitro glycerin. Do not confuse being a monopropellent with being contact sensitive, they are not the same thing. Nitro is safer to transport than gasoline or methanol, due to its lower vapor pressure.

With the amout of nitro used in our model fuels, there probably isn't any difference between the Chinese fuel and VP. With high volume of usage, the Chinese fuel seems to be "drier". It evaporates faster and doesn't have any lubricating properties even as a liquid. I don't know how to explain it any differently, just the difference I see after using each one. The VP fuel is the only fuel "legal" for competition in drag racing, but use the Chinese fuel (read cheaper) for testing purposes.
Also, on a side note, you can have a container of nitro (I've seen it done with about 1 cup) and drop a match in it and the match will go out. Its heat and pressure that causes instabilty.

Ok thats contrary to what ive been told and found in experiments but ill take youre word for it : )

Where do you get this Chinese nitro in the US?

Torco

I think the Chinese Nitro is excellent. we produce 12,000mt per year and it's purity can reach 99.95%, but it is too dear. Usually, we have four kinds of Nitromethane by the content.and they are 99%, 99.5%, 99.9% and 99.95%. Every month, we will export 200mt to U.S.A., Australia and European. and if you are interest in it, please give me e-mail: [email protected] and welcome to our homepage: www.baoyuanchem.com

English translated

http://translate.google.com/translat...ial%26hs%3D9F0