Patent ID: 8702420

Claim:
A fuel conditioning unit comprising: a cylindrical vaporization chamber, the cylindrical vaporization chamber comprising a sidewall and an end wall; a plurality of nozzles mounted along the sidewall and in fluid communication with a liquid fuel supply, the nozzles being configured to spray liquid fuel radially inward into the chamber; at least one diluent gas port in fluid communication with the chamber, the diluent gas port being in fluid communication with a supply of heated diluent gas, the diluent gas port being configured to introduce the diluent gas into the chamber; at least one exit port in fluid communication with the chamber, the exit port providing a path for vaporized liquid fuel to exit the chamber; wherein the heated diluent gas supplies a least a portion of the heat required for vaporization of the liquid fuel, and wherein a mixture of the diluent gas and vaporized liquid fuel has an oxygen content below the limiting oxygen index and has a lower dew point than that of the liquid fuel in the absence of the diluent gas; and a spool section attached to a portion of the sidewall opposite the end wall such that the spool section forms an extension of the chamber, the spool section having a heating element disposed therein, the heating element supplying additional heat to vaporize any liquid fuel not vaporized in the portion of the chamber corresponding to the sidewall, the spool section having at least one additional exit port through which any fuel vaporized in the spool section may exit the fuel conditioning unit.