Patent ID: 7510171

Claim:
A fuel conditioning apparatus comprising: a housing defining a chamber and provided with an inlet upstream of the chamber and an outlet downstream of the chamber; a hemispherical seat with a first end in fluid communication with the inlet and a second end in fluid communication with the chamber, the second end lying in a plane containing a diameter of the hemispherical seat; a valve body comprising a curved surface and a planar surface extending across the curved surface, the valve body being movable between a closed position where the valve body seals the inlet, and an open position where the valve body is spaced from the inlet to produce a gap between the valve and the seat allowing air at the inlet to flow through the first and second ends into the chamber, a fuel delivery system arranged to spray fuel into the gap at a location in the hemispherical seat adjacent the second end of the hemispherical seat, wherein air delivered to the inlet flows through the gap to the second end where the air collides with the fuel; and a bias device that biases the valve body toward the closed position.