🔍 Key Concepts

• Steam atomization burners and how they mix fuel and steam at the burner tip • The relationship between nozzle/sprayer plate design and fuel flow rate • Which pressures actually control fuel quantity vs. air/furnace conditions

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: which factor directly changes how much oil is pushed through the burner orifice, not just how it burns after it enters the furnace? • Consider which choice is a fixed mechanical size that determines flow capacity, versus operating conditions that mainly affect combustion air or draft. • Think about what the atomizing steam pressure is working with at the burner tip: is it acting against oil return, furnace air, or the physical opening the oil must pass through?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which options relate to fuel-side hardware (nozzle/orifice) versus air/draft conditions. • Verify which pressures (fuel, steam, or air) actually change fuel flow rate rather than only affecting combustion efficiency. • Confirm that the correct factor would still control maximum fuel flow even if furnace or windbox pressure changed.