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A carbonation system comprises a vessel for carbonating a liquid, a CO 2 supply connected to the vessel so as to create a CO 2 atmosphere in the vessel, an inlet diffuser through which the liquid enters the vessel, and an outlet pipe through which the carbonated liquid exits the vessel. The inlet

A carbonation system comprises a vessel for carbonating a liquid, a CO 2 supply connected to the vessel so as to create a CO 2 atmosphere in the vessel, an inlet diffuser through which the liquid enters the vessel, and an outlet pipe through which the carbonated liquid exits the vessel. The inlet diffuser comprises a plurality of openings arranged on its vertical face, such that when the liquid exits the inlet diffuser through the plurality of openings, the liquid is substantially atomized and the atomized liquid is ejected in a direction that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vessel. The plurality of openings can be arranged in horizontal rows so that openings in adjacent rows are not in vertical alignment with each other. In addition, the atomized liquid can be ejected at an upward angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the vessel.

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1. A carbonation system comprising:a vessel for carbonating a liquid, the longitudinal axis of said vessel being in a horizontal plane;a CO 2 supply connected to said vessel so as to create a CO 2 atmosphere in said vessel;an inlet diffuser through which the liquid enters said vessel, said inlet d

1. A carbonation system comprising:a vessel for carbonating a liquid, the longitudinal axis of said vessel being in a horizontal plane;a CO 2 supply connected to said vessel so as to create a CO 2 atmosphere in said vessel;an inlet diffuser through which the liquid enters said vessel, said inlet diffuser comprising a plurality of openings arranged on a vertical face, wherein the plurality of openings are oriented such that when the liquid exits said inlet diffuser through the plurality of openings, the liquid is substantially atomized and substantially all of the atomized liquid is ejected in a direction that is substantially in a horizontal plane; andan outlet pipe through which the carbonated liquid exits said vessel. 2. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings are holes. 3. A carbonation system according to claim 2, wherein the diameters of the holes are approximately 0.016-0.036 inches. 4. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein the inlet liquid pressure is approximately 100 to 140 psi. 5. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein said inlet diffuser is positioned in the approximate longitudinal center of said vessel. 6. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is cylindrical in shape. 7. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings are arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows. 8. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings are oriented to eject the atomized liquid substantially along the longitudinal axis of said vessel. 9. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein said vessel comprises end walls at either longitudinal end and the plurality of openings are oriented to eject the atomized liquid toward the end walls of said vessel. 10. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein said vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of said side walls, and the plurality of openings are oriented such that the atomized liquid is not ejected toward the side walls of said vessel. 11. A carbonation system according to claim 1, wherein said vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of said side walls, and the plurality of openings are oriented such that the atomized liquid is not ejected toward a central region of the side walls of said vessel. 12. A carbonation system comprising:a vessel for carbonating a liquid, the longitudinal axis of said vessel being in a horizontal plane;a CO 2 supply connected to said vessel so as to create a CO 2 atmosphere in said vessel;an inlet diffuser through which the liquid enters said vessel, said inlet diffuser comprising a plurality of openings arranged on a vertical face, wherein the plurality of openings are oriented such that when the liquid exits said inlet diffuser through the plurality of openings, the liquid is substantially atomized and wherein the plurality of openings are arranged in horizontal rows such that openings in adjacent rows of the plurality of openings are not in vertical alignment with each other, and wherein substantially all of the atomized liquid is ejected in directions that are substantially in horizontal planes; andan outlet pipe through which the carbonated liquid exits said vessel. 13. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein adjacent rows of the plurality of openings have a different number of openings per row. 14. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein the inlet liquid pressure is approximately 100 to 140 psi. 15. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of openings are holes. 16. A carbonation system according to claim 15, wherein the diameters of the holes are approximately 0.020-0.036 inches. 17. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein said inlet diffuser is positioned in the middle of said vessel. 18. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein said vessel is cylindrical in shape. 19 . A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of openings are oriented to eject the atomized liquid substantially along the longitudinal axis of said vessel. 20. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein said vessel comprises end walls at either longitudinal end and the plurality of openings are oriented to eject the atomized liquid toward the end walls of said vessel. 21. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein said vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of said side walls, and the plurality of openings are oriented such that the atomized liquid is not ejected toward the side walls of said vessel. 22. A carbonation system according to claim 12, wherein said vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of said side walls, and the plurality of openings are oriented such that the atomized liquid is not ejected toward a central region of the side walls of said vessel. 23. A method for carbonating a liquid comprising the steps of:providing a vessel for carbonating a liquid, where the longitudinal axis of the vessel is in a horizontal plane;supplying a CO 2 atmosphere in the vessel;pumping the liquid into an inlet diffuser to atomize the liquid and eject substantially all of the atomized liquid into the vessel in a direction that is substantially in a horizontal plane by forcing the liquid through a plurality of openings arranged on a vertical face of the diffuser; anddischarging the carbonated liquid out of the vessel. 24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the atomized liquid is ejected substantially along the longitudinal axis of the vessel. 25. A method according to claim 23, wherein the vessel comprises end walls at either longitudinal end, and the atomized liquid is ejected toward the end walls of the vessel. 26. A method according to claim 23, wherein the vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of the side walls, and the atomized liquid is not ejected toward the side walls of the vessel. 27. A method according to claim 25, wherein the vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of the side walls, and the atomized liquid is not ejected toward a central region of the side walls of the vessel. 28. A method for carbonating a liquid comprising the steps of:providing a vessel for carbonating a liquid, the longitudinal axis of the vessel being in a horizontal plane;supplying a CO 2 atmosphere in the vessel;atomizing the liquid and ejecting the atomized liquid into the vessel through a plurality of openings arranged on a vertical face of an inlet diffuser, wherein the plurality of openings are arranged in horizontal rows such that openings in adjacent rows of the plurality of openings are not in vertical alignment with each other, wherein substantially all of the atomized liquid is ejected in directions that are substantially in horizontal planes; anddischarging the carbonated liquid out of the vessel. 29. A method according to claim 28, wherein the atomized liquid is ejected substantially along the longitudinal axis of the vessel. 30. A method according to claim 28, wherein the vessel comprises end walls at either longitudinal end, and the atomized liquid is in ejected toward the end walls of the vessel. 31. A method according to claim 28, wherein the vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of the side walls, and the atomized liquid is not ejected toward the side walls of the vessel. 32. A method according to claim 28, wherein the vessel comprises side walls and end walls at either longitudinal end of the side walls, and the atomized liquid is not ejected toward a central region of the side walls of the vessel.