Heating method and system for controlling air ingress into enclosed spaces

An apparatus for heating vessels having an enclosed space and controlling air ingress into the enclosed space, the apparatus comprising:

• a lid structure having a burner assembly mounted therein, the vessel and lid structure mating such that a circumferential gap is formed between the vessel and the lid structure, the vessel having a diameter Dladle, the gap having an area Agap, the burner assembly comprising:
• a burner face adjacent a combustion zone, the burner face having an area Abf;
• an elongated body terminating at the burner face, the elongated body having an oxidant conduit configured to discharge oxidant into the combustion zone at a jet velocity Vjet;
• and
• two or more nozzles disposed in the burner face at positions spaced apart from each other to discharge separate flows into the combustion zone, at least one nozzle being an oxidant nozzle positioned radially outward from the oxidant conduit and configured to discharge oxidant into the combustion zone and at least one nozzle being a fuel nozzle positioned radially outward from the oxidant nozzle and configured to discharge fuel into the combustion zone;
• wherein the burner assembly is configured to combust fuel and oxidant from the burner assembly under conditions to provide a flame having a flame temperature Tflame and a predetermined flame diameter and to impart a flame velocity sufficiently large to create an outward gas flow from the enclosed space through the gap and control air ingress;
• wherein a burner configuration ratio of the gap area to the burner face area is determined by the equation:
• a=Agap/(200 Abf);
• wherein a burner velocity ratio determined by to the equation:
• b=3Vbuoy/Vjet;
• wherein Vbuoy=(2gDladleΔT/Tflame)1/2, where ΔT is the temperature difference between the Tflame and a wall of the vessel;
• wherein the sum of the burner configuration ratio, a, and the burner velocity ratio, b, is less than 2.5;
• and
• wherein the oxidant is an oxygen-enriched gas.