Carburettor

A carburettor including a flow duct comprising rich and lean flow passages in parallel, through which, in use, air flows in a flow direction and which are separated by a substantially planar partition, at least one fuel jet communicating with the rich passage, the partition including an aperture towards which the fuel jet is directed, and a substantially planar butterfly valve being received in the aperture so as to be pivotable between a first position, in which the flow duct is substantially closed and the aperture is substantially open, and a second position, in which the flow duct is substantially open and the aperture is substantially closed, the upstream half of the aperture being defined by an upstream semi-annular seating ledge affording an upstream seating surface which is engaged by one of the surfaces of the butterfly valve when it is in the second position and a first end surface which extends between the upstream seating surface and that surface of the partition which is directed toward the lean passage, the downstream half of the aperture being defined by a downstream semi-annular seating ledge affording a downstream seating surface which is engaged by the other surface of the butterfly valve when it is in the second position and a second end surface, which extends between the downstream seating surface and that surface of the partition which is directed towards the rich passage, characterized in that a protrusion is disposed adjacent the second end surface on the surface of the partition which is directed towards the lean passage, the protrusion having an upstream face that is positioned such that, in use in the second position of the valve, a stagnation pressure is generated thereon.