Patent ID: 7287744

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 bias device that biases the valve body toward the closed position; and, a fuel delivery system comprising a fuel injector provided with a plurality of jets that open onto the hemispherical seat and are disposed about the valve body, the jets arranged to spray fuel across the gap and laterally relative to a direction of flow of the air from the inlet into the chamber.