🔍 Key Concepts

• Atomization steam primary role in breaking fuel oil into fine droplets for combustion • How steam flow affects burner tip temperature and metal parts during maneuvering when burners are cycled on/off • Difference between pressure/temperature control of fuel (handled elsewhere in the system) versus functions at the burner tip

💭 Think About

• Which of these choices sounds like something that would happen right at the burner tip where the steam and fuel meet, rather than back in the fuel supply system? • During frequent starts and stops (such as maneuvering), what risk do you have to the burner nozzle if hot fuel is present but there is little or no firing? • Ask yourself: does atomization steam usually control fuel temperature and viscosity, or is that done by heaters and viscosity controllers upstream?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which systems normally control fuel pressure and fuel temperature/viscosity (pumps, heaters, viscosity controllers, not the atomizing steam line). • Consider what happens to the atomizer metal if hot fuel is present but there is no cooling or sweeping medium passing through it. • Check which option directly protects the burner/atomizer hardware during maneuvering, when burners are frequently put in and out of service.