Process and apparatus for uniform combustion within a molten material

An apparatus comprising:

• at least one wall defining a combustion chamber having a fuel inlet and an oxidant inlet and a combustion products outlet;
• at least one melter wall defining a melting chamber containing a bath of material suitable for melting comprising at least one of a solid, partially molten and totally molten said material, said at least one melter wall forming a combustion products inlet opening below a surface of said bath in direct fluid communication with said combustion products outlet;
• and
• at least one burner operably connected to said combustion chamber having a burner fuel inlet, an oxidant inlet, a fuel outlet and an oxidant outlet, said fuel outlet in fluid communication with said fuel inlet and said oxidant outlet in fluid communication with said oxidant inlet, said at least one burner comprises an inner fluid supply tube having a first fluid inlet end and a first fluid outlet an outer fluid supply tube having a second fluid inlet end and a second fluid outlet end coaxially disposed around said inner fluid supply tube and forming an annular space between said inner fluid supply tube and said outer fluid supply tube, said second fluid outlet end extending beyond said first fluid outlet end, a burner nozzle connected to said first fluid outlet end of said inner fluid supply tube having an outside diameter corresponding to an inside diameter of said outer fluid supply tube, said burner nozzle forming a centralized opening in fluid communication with said inner fluid supply tube and at least one peripheral longitudinally oriented opening in fluid communication with said annular space.