A nebulizer for atomizing a high-temperature liquid includes a truncated, conical
concentrator that defines a vertex and that has a small-diameter end and a large-diameter
end. The small-diameter end has a spherical-shaped, concave surface and the large-diameter
end has a spherical-shaped, convex surface. A piezoelectric transducer has a spherical-shaped,
concave surface that is attached to the convex surface of the concentrator. A cylindrical-shaped
droplet manifold is positioned over the small-diameter end of the concentrator
to create a liquid chamber in the manifold with the vertex inside the liquid chamber.
A feeding tube introduces the high-temperature liquid into the liquid chamber until
the surface of the liquid reaches the vertex. With an activation of the transducer,
acoustic waves that have spherical wavefronts are launched away from the concave
surface of the transducer. The concentrator propagates and directs the spherical
wavefronts for convergence at the vertex to nebulize the liquid.
