Electrostatic atomization of liquid fuel

Claim 1

A FUEL BURNER COMPRISING A FURNACE CHAMBER, A DISCHARGE HEAD FOR A LIQUID FUEL IN SAID FURNACE CHAMBER, SAID DISCHARGE HEAD HAVING AN EXTERNAL CONICAL LIQUID FLOW SURFACE TERMINATING IN A LOWER EDGE AT THE MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID CONICAL SURFACE, MEANS FORMING FLOW PORTS ADAPTED TO DISTRIBUTE A LIQUID FUEL AROUND SAID CONICAL SURFACE TO FLOW TO SAID LOWER EDGE, SAID FLOW SURFACE BEING OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL, CONDUIT MEANS FOR DELIVERING LIQUID FUEL TO SAID FLOW PORTS, A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT POTENTIAL CONNECTED TO SAID CONICAL SURFACE TO MAINTAIN SAID SURFACE CONTINUOUSLY AT A DIRECT CURRENT POTENTIAL, AN ELECTRODE RING SPACED BELOW AND ADJACENT TO SAID LOWER EDGE, A SOURCE OF ALTERNATING CURRENT POTENTIAL CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODE RING, THE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID EDGE AND SAID RING CYCLICALLY VARYING AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SAID LIQUID TO BE DRAWN IN ATOMIZED FORM FROM SAID EDGE DURING ALTERNATE HALF CYCLES OF THE ALTERNATING CURRENT POTENTIAL OF SAID RING, AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING A CURRENT OF AIR THROUGH SAID CHAMBER.