Submergible combustion burner

1. A burner apparatus, comprising:

a first tube having a first longitudinal bore;

a second tube having a second longitudinal bore, said second tube being disposed within said first longitudinal bore such that an annular space is defined between the second tube and the first tube;

a nozzle formed at a tip of the second tube, said nozzle having an inlet face facing the second longitudinal bore and an outlet face in opposing relation to the inlet face, said nozzle comprising a plurality of side holes formed therein, said side holes extending from the inlet face to the outlet face, said side holes being slanted outwardly relative to a longitudinal axis of the nozzle and being in communication with the second longitudinal bore; and

a plurality of protuberances protruding laterally from an exterior of the nozzle, each of the protuberances corresponding laterally in position to one of the side holes, wherein the plurality of protuberances is provided by corners of a polygonal flange attached to the exterior of the nozzle, wherein the corners of the polygonal flange are radially oriented relative to a center of the polygonal flange.

2. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the side holes is slanted outwardly at an angle in a range from 25° to 65° relative to a longitudinal axis of the nozzle.

3. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle further comprises a central hole formed therein, said central hole extending from the inlet face to the outlet face, said central hole being in communication with the second longitudinal bore.

4. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the side holes are distributed around the center of the nozzle.

5. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is substantially flush with an end surface of the burner apparatus.

6. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is recessed relative to an end surface of the burner apparatus.

7. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second tube and the first tube include ports for receiving gas.

8. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the side holes terminate at the outlet face of the nozzle with an elongated shape.

9. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional flow area of the annular space and a cross-sectional flow area of the nozzle are selected such that pressure in the annular space is substantially equal to pressure in the second longitudinal bore.

10. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the protuberances are substantially flush with the outlet face of the nozzle.

11. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising means for centralizing the second tube within the first longitudinal bore.

12. The burner apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a cooling jacket surrounding the first tube.

13. A submerged combustion melting apparatus, comprising:

a melting chamber for containing a molten pool, said melting chamber having an orifice formed in a wall thereof; and

a burner positioned at the orifice to inject a flame into the melting chamber, the burner comprising:

a first tube having a first longitudinal bore;

a second tube having a second longitudinal bore, said second tube being disposed within said first longitudinal bore such that an annular space is defined between the second tube and the first tube;

a nozzle formed at a tip of the second tube, said nozzle having an inlet face facing the second longitudinal bore and an outlet face in opposing relation to the inlet face, said nozzle comprising a plurality of side holes formed therein, said side holes extending from the inlet face to the outlet face, said side holes being slanted outwardly relative to a longitudinal axis of the nozzle and being in communication with the second longitudinal bore; and

a plurality of protuberances protruding laterally from an exterior of the nozzle, each of the protuberances corresponding laterally in position to one of the side holes, wherein the plurality of protuberances is provided by corners of a polygonal flange attached to the exterior of the nozzle, wherein the corners of the polygonal flange are radially oriented relative to the center of the polygonal flange.

14. The melting apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the second tube and the first tube include ports for receiving gas.

15. The melting apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first holes have an elongated shape at the outlet face of the nozzle.

16. The melting apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the nozzle further comprises a central hole, said central hole extending from the inlet face to the outlet face, said central hole being in communication with the second longitudinal bore.

17. The melting apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising means for centralizing the second tube in the first longitudinal bore.

18. The melting apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a cooling jacket surrounding the first tube.