Patent ID: 8057220

Claim:
An air-assisted spray nozzle assembly for a fuel burner comprising: a) a nozzle body defining a central axis and having opposed upstream and downstream ends, the downstream end of the nozzle body defining a central fuel outlet; b) an adapter member engaged with the upstream end of the nozzle body and defining coaxially positioned air and fuel inlets for the nozzle assembly; c) an air cap positioned over the downstream end of the nozzle body; d) a fuel circuit for directing fuel from a fuel pump toward the central fuel outlet of the nozzle body, the fuel circuit extending from the fuel inlet of the adapter member through the nozzle body to the central fuel outlet of the nozzle body; e) a first air circuit for directing assist air towards fuel exiting from the central fuel outlet of the nozzle body, the first air circuit extending from the air inlet of the adapter member, through a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart radial flow ports formed in the nozzle body, to a radially outer circumferential air gap defined between the air cap and the nozzle body, the circumferential air gap communicating with a central mixing chamber defined by the air cap in which assist air flowing from the first air circuit merges with fuel emitted from the central fuel outlet of the nozzle body f) a fuel distributor disposed within an interior chamber defined by the nozzle body for receiving fuel from the fuel inlet of the adapter member and directing the fuel radially outward; and g) an orifice disc disposed within the interior chamber of the nozzle body downstream of the fuel distributor, wherein the fuel circuit extends through a gap formed between the fuel distributor and the orifice disc to a spin chamber communicating with the central fuel outlet of the nozzle body.