Patent ID: 8464539

Claim:
A nozzle having a first inlet, a second inlet, a nozzle outlet, a first fluid circuit from the first inlet to the nozzle outlet, and a second fluid circuit from the second inlet to the nozzle outlet, said nozzle comprising a stack of plates in face-to-face contact and joined together in a fluid tight manner, said stack of plates including: a first-inlet plate having an opening defining the first inlet; a second-inlet plate having an opening defining the second inlet; a nozzle-outlet plate, positioned downstream of the first-inlet plate and the second-inlet plate, having an opening defining the nozzle outlet; and a plurality of plates positioned downstream of the inlet-defining plates and upstream of the nozzle-outlet-defining plate, these plates having grooves and/or openings which define: an outlet chamber positioned downstream of the inlets and upstream of the nozzle outlet; outer swirl segments in the first circuit positioned downstream of the first inlet and upstream of the outlet chamber; outer swirl segments in the second circuit positioned downstream of the second inlet and upstream of the outlet chamber; one or more central swirl areas to which the outer swirl segments are connected in a pinwheel fashion; and a central orifice from each central swirl area that exits to the outlet chamber, wherein each orifice is substantially smaller in diameter than the outlet chamber; wherein the first circuit has a central swirl area to which the first-circuit outer swirl segments connect in a pinwheel fashion and the second circuit has a separate central swirl area to which the second-circuit swirl segments connect in a pinwheel fashion, and wherein the first circuit has a central orifice exiting to the outlet chamber and the second circuit has a separate orifice exiting to the outlet chamber.