Apparatus and method for generating inert gas and heating injected gas

A burner for heating a hydrocarbonaceous formation or reservoir and for producing economical inert injectant, to thereby recover hydrocarbonaceous materials from said formation, said burner comprising:

• a combustion chamber comprising
• a burner nipple having a first end attached to an air supply conduit,
• a burner shroud having a first end attached to a second end of said burner nipple opposite said first end of said burner nipple, and
• a burner shroud extension attached to a second end of said burner shroud, said burner shroud extension having an open lower end to allow combustion gasses to exit said combustion chamber;
• a nozzle, movably contained within said combustion chamber, said nozzle having a nozzle body contained within said burner nipple, a first end connected to a fuel supply conduit contained within said air supply conduit, and having an elongated second end extending through said burner shroud;
• stopping means located within said burner nipple for preventing said nozzle from being positioned beyond a predefined location toward said open lower end of said combustion chamber.

A method for in situ combustion of hydrocarbons present in a subterranean formation which is penetrated by a well in fluid communication therewith, the method comprising:

• raising the temperature of the formation adjacent the well to an ignition temperature which is sufficient to ignite hydrocarbons present in the formation;
• superheating an oxygen-containing gas within the well to a temperature which is greater than said ignition temperature;
• and
• injecting said superheated oxygen-containing gas into the formation to sustain and propagate the combustion of hydrocarbons present in the formation.