Tapered plug burner cleaning ports

A system comprising:

• a top charge furnace comprising a wall bounding an inside of the top charge furnace;
• a burner extending through the wall and comprising a body defining:
• a front face within the inside of the top charge furnace;
• a rear face outside of the inside of the top charge furnace;
• an air passage through the front face;
• a fuel passage separate from the air passage and defined through the front face;
• and
• an access passage separate from the fuel passage, defined through the rear face, and aligned with the air passage to permit a structure to be passed through the burner from outside the top charge furnace and through the front face to clean out build-up of solidified metal and/or oxide from the air passage;
• and
• a tapered plug releasably received in the rear face and in sealing engagement with the access passage to seal off the access passage during operation of the burner.

A burner assembly comprising:

• a body defining a chamber having a front face and a rear face;
• an air passage defined through the front face;
• a fuel passage separate from the air passage and defined through the front face;
• an access passage separate from the fuel passage, defined through the rear face, and aligned with the air passage;
• a tapered seat forming an entrance to the access passage;
• and
• a tapered plug moveable between a sealing configuration and a cleaning configuration, the tapered plug in the sealing configuration being received in the tapered seat to seal the access passage during operation of the burner assembly, and the tapered plug in the cleaning configuration being removed from the tapered seat to expose the access passage and permit insertion of a rigid structure through the access passage and the front face to dislodge any blockage from the air passage.