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jeffbare
04-21-2009, 05:36 PM
This might be in the wrong location, but for all you that love your BBC's check this out. A little long, but worth the read.

ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE

Almost amazing…

One Top Fuel 500 cubic-inch Hemi dragster engine makes more horsepower (8,000 HP) than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 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 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.

*0 to 100 MPH in 0.8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run)
*0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run)
*6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
*6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin 'chutes at 300 MPH

An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth, quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle.

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.420 seconds for the quarter-mile (2004, Doug Kalitta). The top speed record is 337.58 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2005, Tony Schumacher).

Putting this all 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 & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a 200 mph 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. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
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 is acceleration!

Perlmudder
04-21-2009, 05:44 PM
always liked reading that!

ILMORdude
04-21-2009, 06:08 PM
Absolutely nothing describes Top Fuel in person. Simply the best

C_Spray
04-21-2009, 06:19 PM
8,000 hp @ 9,500 rpm = 4,421 ft-lbs of torque.






Period.

phragle
04-21-2009, 06:41 PM
the quickest figures I could get lists a 747-200 as using 87,325 hp to fly 0.9 mach @ 40,000 feet. Using aprox 4,587 gallons of fuel an hour. (4,587/60min/60secs= 1.28 GPS)

significantly more than 8000 hp and significantly less than 11.2 gps fuel

power: http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/propulsion/q0195.shtml

fuel consumption: http://www.kls2.com/cgi-bin/arcfetch?db=sci.aeronautics.airliners&id=%3Cairliners.2000.139@ohare.chicago.com%3E

catmando
04-21-2009, 07:08 PM
8,000 hp @ 9,500 rpm = 4,421 ft-lbs of torque.






Period.How did you arrive at that?

Sean H
04-21-2009, 07:14 PM
HP=Torque x RPM / 5252

Ratickle
04-21-2009, 07:20 PM
8,000 hp @ 9,500 rpm = 4,421 ft-lbs of torque.






Period.

That would even break a Tripple Digit Alpha, let alone a Bravo.......:)

getchasum111
04-21-2009, 07:27 PM
That would even break a Tripple Digit Alpha, let alone a Bravo.......:)

don't even go there....i don't want that idiot over here....although i did laugh out loud a few times with his crap...:03:

boostbros
04-21-2009, 09:25 PM
i have crawled out of the pits many times ..yet another team rattles one to life and your just drawn to it if you have never experianced Nitro it is one of lifes must do,s its just awesome

glassdave
04-21-2009, 09:45 PM
i have crawled out of the pits many times ..yet another team rattles one to life and your just drawn to it if you have never experianced Nitro it is one of lifes must do,s its just awesome

yep . . . . stand at the big end one time. Its nuts!

Jayhawker
04-21-2009, 10:58 PM
Obviously none of you have not seen my wife launch at the start of her monthly cycle!:huh:

Jayhawker
04-21-2009, 11:01 PM
the quickest figures I could get lists a 747-200

Why go with the baby engines? Check out a 90,000lb thrust 777 and report back.

Warlock28SXT
04-22-2009, 09:59 AM
Obviously none of you have not seen my wife launch at the start of her monthly cycle!:huh:

:ack2::ack2:

How cool is that. Thanks for the post have not seen the break down like that before.

I would like to see the vette against the TFD.

jeffbare
04-22-2009, 10:24 AM
* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.


And people complain about maintenance on boats.

txriverrat2001
04-22-2009, 10:27 AM
That would even break a Tripple Digit Alpha, let alone a Bravo.......:)


That's funny....... forgot all about that little fukker.....

Sea-Dated
04-22-2009, 10:47 AM
Cool info. Boating maintenance seems like nothing compared to this......

MattBMiller
04-22-2009, 01:36 PM
That would even break a Tripple Digit Alpha, let alone a Bravo.......:)

Not an Alpha SS though!:biggrinjester:

Rick G
04-23-2009, 09:45 PM
According to the original post the dragster burns 11.2 gal per second which means the car would have to have a 50 gal fuel tank. Dose this sound right?

Revd Up
04-23-2009, 11:10 PM
I'll be checking out the Nitro burners June 6th. I can't wait. Never miss a top fuel event when they are in your area. Simply awesome.
John Force, Ashley Force, Tony Shumacher

Revd Up
04-23-2009, 11:27 PM
This is a friend of mines twin Hemi dragster. (He used to be a boater) He was just getting ready to retire the car after this run and put it on display at a new restaurant. Unfortunately he crashed it. He's alright but the car needs lots of $. Car runs around 210mph.

Dude! Sweet!
04-24-2009, 08:16 PM
I agree, there is NOTHING like a fuel car pass... :)

Trim'd Up
05-07-2009, 05:50 PM
I love it! They rattle your eyeballs when they go by. It is definitely something to see in person.