Facts about RC Nitro fuel?

[TmMugen]

Hello all fellow nitro flyers and nitro heads,

Searching thru the forum threads for the past couple of days and seems like there is no write-ups about the do and don't, facts and myths about RC nitro fuel, allow me to give my takes..I ain't a pro but do have some experience with nitro since i am a petrol head.

Today's RC model engine or rather we call "glow" fuel engine is made up of three key elements:

1) methanol,
2) oil or lubricant,
3) nitro methane.

Many fuel manufacturers like to include some additives (like coloring, anti-corrosion agent, anti-foaming etc) that are designed to solve or ease some common problems that may occur with our RC fuel/ engine. However, often they cause some "side effect" along the way.

For now and ease of discussion, let's only address the most common elements of the fuel and how you can care for your fuel to keep it fresh and stop it from going "bad." These steps will ultimately make your model engine operations easier.

To be continued in Part 2..

[TmMugen]

Part 2.

By the way, if anyone disagree with me please feel free to comment and correct me. But no flaming wars please.. Let's keep this constructive.

OK, let's start with what is fuel?

Our glow motors are 2 stroke which basically means they fire on every revolution unlike your full size car which being four stroke fires every other revolution. This 2-stroke action means our engines are very simple to build and design with fewer moving parts. Simple enough?

As I mentioned that our RC fuel is made up of 3 basic components:

1. Methanol
   
2. Oil
   
3. Nitro methane

So what function does every component have?

The oil lubricates and protects the moving parts and generally most fuels will contain somewhere between 15-25% content. Castor oil is first and most commonly used in the past and in recent days, fully synthetic oil/ lubricant are developed in replacement of the castor oil. There are still some people who prefer castor than synthetic but to me these are all personal preferences.

Synthetic oils I personally prefer, as they burn cleaner give crisper acceleration and can if used correctly give better protection.

Some suppliers have hedged their bets and supply fuel containing a blend of castor and a synthetic. To me, these are just "marketing gimmick" to entice the old school of castor to get a mix of synthetic oil.

Methanol is the major component of RC fuel, it supplies the basic element for combustion, whilst there are many grades of Methanol. (I counted at least 5 in my list of suppliers) Some manufacturers had chosen the less pure form i.e. industrial or domestic grade to net more profit margin, while some believes to just give the best i.e. medical grade to the consumer, especially if the manufacturer is a also vivid RC modeler as well..Just imagine having the methanol in your RC fuel that the nurse administrate onto your skin before the doctor give you the jab?

Nitro methane does not increase the power of an engine. (Controversy here!) What it does is allow much more Oxygen to be available during combustion. This will allow much higher forces to bear down on the piston and dramatically increase the torque of an engine (Pulling power) in our cars 15-25% appears to be the accepted norm.

So the golden question is what is good for me?

[TmMugen]

Part 3

So the golden question: Which fuel should I buy?

It is SIMPLE!! Follow your wallet, not your heart!! Just remember 02 very simple rule and you will be fine..

Rule#1
The Dearest or the most Costly fuel isn’t the best, remember some traders like a bigger margin than others or buy from a dearer source. The cheapest isn't the worst too.

Rule#2

Always use a high quality fresh fuel designed specifically for a specific use. Cars formula is different from Heli and is different from Planes. Since we are paying for the fuel, why not use the freshest possible?

Kind of drifting off topic liao..OK, let's come back on track..

Part 4 will be Storage of your RC fuel. To be continued soon tomolo..ZZZzzz..

[stickman]

i have some questions about nitro fuel.

1. can we mix nitro fuel of different percentage? a search of angmoh forums say that we can mix same brand field cause the additives are the same. opinions?

2. How to keep fuel "fresh"? Do you only bring what u need to the field and keep the rest at home? or just lug the gallon jug everywhere? i keep my nitro gallon jug in my car all the time.

3. My gallon jug will bloat with time and will pop when i open it. what is this gas? is it from the fuel? what causes this gas build up?

help~

cheers!

[TmMugen]

See my reply in blue prints please. Thanks.

i have some questions about nitro fuel.

1. can we mix nitro fuel of different percentage? a search of angmoh forums say that we can mix same brand field cause the additives are the same. opinions? Yes, technically you can. But they are of different formulation even if they are from the same brand and if you mix them up, you will need to re-tune the engine. The problem is there is no consistency in your "own" mixing and tuning the engine to consistent power band will be tough.

2. How to keep fuel "fresh"? Do you only bring what u need to the field and keep the rest at home? or just lug the gallon jug everywhere? i keep my nitro gallon jug in my car all the time. Actually this will be discussed in the later parts so bear with me for a while more. But here is my initial take for you. DO NOT STORE FUEL IN YOUR CAR. It is very dangerous! The heat in your car boot under direct sunlight is very high and you potentially have a time bomb in your car. For me, I always bring the whole gallon. Transferring nitro between containers will cause contamination or rather you will be introducing water content into your nitro fuel. Will touch more on this the part 4.

3. My gallon jug will bloat with time and will pop when i open it. what is this gas? is it from the fuel? what causes this gas build up? See my explanation as to why you do NOT store nitro fuel in your car boot. These are highly flammable and volatile vapors from the fuel. The flash point is very low. You can potentially ignite it if you have a cigarette in your mouth. Again, please bear with me. I will explain more in the later parts..

help~

cheers!

[feudallordcult]

Bro Mugen, if I am ever granted the permission to go into nitro birds one day, confirm get the stocks from you.

[TmMugen]

Part 4: Storage of your RC fuel.

Ok, after dinner time and now got some time to talk about shelf life of RC nitro fuel.. Let me take a step back to give you some mechanism of the chemistry of RC nitro fuel.

During my course of enjoying this wonderful hobby, some people had asked me: "What's the shelf life of RC nitro fuel?"

The answer is both simple and easy: IF properly stored, RC model engine fuel will last almost longer than expected. Having said that, there is no definite dateline but all I want to say is they are supposed to last..!! So....what constitutes "proper storage"? Let's take a dip into this interesting topic.

OK, here you might have read or heard many this and that theories? It ain't ROCKET SCIENCE..Actually the only thing that adversely affects RC model fuel is the absorption of moisture from the air. Moisture is water!! Keep the air away from it, and your fuel will likely be lasting longer than you are!

Methanol - the major component in model fuel - is VERY hygroscopic. This means it's virtually 100% soluble in water, and absorbs moisture from the air like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dirt.

Now you can argue that this is just a load of craps but I can tell you that almost all RC modelers have no idea how rapidly this can - and it does happen and it had a adverse effect on your fuel.

Allow me paint a picture for you: Almost everyone has spilled a little fuel on the top of their fuel can in their flight box..?? If so, you might have noticed that the shallow film of raw fuel takes on a cloudy, milky look. What you are seeing is the methanol sucking moisture right out of the air. Since the quantity of fuel is thin with a lot of surface area, the absorption is rapid, the water won't mix with the oil and the fuel turns cloudy. Just remember how quickly this happens.....almost immediately....and it might give you an idea of just how quickly your fuel can be ruined if you leave the cap off, allow a vent tube to remain open, etc.

In a humid weather condition such as Singapore, it doesn't take very long at all to adversely affect your fuel. And it doesn't take a large opening....a cross-threaded cap, a small broken vent line, etc. is all that's needed to do the damage.

[TmMugen]

So what is the solution to proper storage?

OK..here is the solution:Take your refueling jug into a vacuum chamber..

Actually the solution is almost similar.. The solution is of course....just keep it tightly sealed. And yet, sometimes that's not enough.

I think most of us have seen small droplets condensed inside our fuel jugs after it's become partially empty..?? OK, this is the result of condensation of moisture as the air trapped inside the jug cools. A substantial volume of air is trapped inside the container each time it's opened, getting refueling etc. This applies especially to steel/ metal containers of any kind simply because they warm and cool much more readily and rapidly than plastic, and condensation is much more evident in this type container.

So is plastic container the best solution? Actually it depends. Have you ever wonder why some manufacturer had chosen different types of containers? Cost is a big factor! Some had chosen the cheaper plastic for the most obvious reason while some had take pain to choose good quality plastic container despite it costs more. The difference in cost and quality is huge! Plastics that are used to make the plastic containers are semi porous so moisture do gets into the container no matter how good the bottles are..The better ones are much less porous but still over a long period of time they are "vulnerable" to moisture getting from the environment.

So what is the solution? Simple: Just get your hands on the most newly or recently made fresh nitro fuel..

[TmMugen]

Some tips for you to consider when buying your next nitro fuel..!!

OK, here are some tips when buying your RC nitro fuel..

1) take note of the colour of the fuel; if it looks cloudy, milky in the container, chances are they are old fuel. I had previous experience of storing some nitro fuel and they turn "pinkish" after a year of storage. Remember during our previous discussion on storage? This is the end result of moisture getting into the fuel. Some fuel are meant to be "clear" but turn "yellowish" after storage..Remember colour is your friendly note.
2) look out for old containers i.e. "yellowish" plastics containers OR rusty metal containers. Chances are they are stored for a long time. Plastics are also photosensitive. They tend to darken with age and exposure to the environment.
3) I heard there are some vivid hobbyists buy in 55 gallon drums from LHS. For the reasons listed above, it's our opinion that it is rarely a good idea to buy model fuel in 55 gallon drums. Unless all the fuel is poured up the first time the drum is opened, a substantial volume of air is trapped inside the drum each time it's opened. In addition, 55 gallon drums container are usually steel containers. And as discussed this kind of container warm and cool much more readily and rapidly than plastic, and condensation is much more evident in this type container. The result is that the last portion of the drum of fuel is quite likely to be contaminated with moisture, sometimes to the point of being unusable.

Hope these tips helps..Cheers..!!

There is another downside to buying fuel in drums, especially if more than one person is using it. With no control over the type container the fuel is dispensed into....perhaps not bearing sufficient or proper warnings, etc., the liability is incredibly high if an accident of any sort like fire, explossion should occur. Model clubs considering this type of fuel purchase for their members should be particularly aware of the potential liability....which is huge! Take note take note..

[remotemadness]

wah.. science class leh...

But very well explain... another thing I learn about storage fuel is... finish it fast...... Or change to a container that don't have much room for air.. fill it to the top till it almost spilling.. Cap it with a plastic sheet..

so Its always good to get those 1 litre or 1.5L bottle, I can't remember..Once you buy your new gallon fuel transfer it to this bottle.. you can bring 2 to the field.. The key thing is to finish 1 bottle when you open it..

Hope this make sense..

[mahathyr]

nice topic...should be made into a "sticky"...

[TmMugen]

Thanks bro, as mentioned it ain't rocket science.

nice topic...should be made into a "sticky"...

Yo quest, the moral of the story is finish your nitro fast once opened. Whahahahaha..

wah.. science class leh...

But very well explain... another thing I learn about storage fuel is... finish it fast...... Or change to a container that don't have much room for air.. fill it to the top till it almost spilling.. Cap it with a plastic sheet..

so Its always good to get those 1 litre or 1.5L bottle, I can't remember..Once you buy your new gallon fuel transfer it to this bottle.. you can bring 2 to the field.. The key thing is to finish 1 bottle when you open it..

Hope this make sense..

[Rgoh]

Thanks for the write up bro, you should be called the Nitro Master.

[TmMugen]

Thanks for the write up bro, you should be called the Nitro Master.

Thanks for the compliment but too bad you quit nitro.. I heard you are having BIG fun with your German made and USA made heli..

[Rgoh]

Hahaha! Ya.. Having a lot of fun man. You should wake up earlier to join us la. I still have 2 gallons at home, might be using them again after ns.