Patent ID: 7028483

Claim:
An injector assembly, comprising: an injector comprising an elongated, essentially flat feed strip in cross-section formed into a ring, said ring including a plurality of thin plates of etchable material disposed in adjacent, surface-to-surface relation with one another, said ring including a plurality of nozzles arranged in a spaced apart manner around a surface of the ring, each of said nozzles including: i) fuel metering structure formed in at least one plate with a bowl-shaped fuel swirl chamber shaped by etching such that fuel to be sprayed can move therein in a vortex motion toward the center of the fuel swirl chamber; and a spray orifice in fluid communication with the center of the fuel swirl chamber and extending substantially co-axial therewith such that fuel to be sprayed can move from the fuel swirl chamber to the spray orifice and then exit through the spray orifice in a spray; at least one fuel feed slot in fluid communication with the fuel swirl chamber and extending in non-radial relation thereto for supplying fuel to be sprayed; and ii) air swirler structure formed in at least one plate with a cylindrical air swirler passage shaped by etching through the at least one plate of the air swirler set, the cylindrical air swirler passage located in co-axial relation to the spray orifice in the fuel metering set such that fuel directed through the spray orifice passes through the air swirler passage and swirling air can be imparted to the fuel to cause the fuel to have a swirling component of motion; and at least one air feed slot in fluid communication with the air swirler passage and extending in non-radial relation thereto for supplying air to be swirled in the air swirler passage.