A liquid fuel catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) reformer can include a plurality or an array of spaced-apart CPOX reactor units, each reactor unit including an elongate tube having a gas-permeable wall with internal and external surfaces, the wall enclosing an open gaseous flow passageway with at least a portion of the wall having CPOX catalyst disposed therein and/or comprising its structure. The catalyst-containing wall structure and open gaseous flow passageway enclosed thereby define a gaseous phase CPOX reaction zone, the catalyst-containing wall section being gas-permeable to allow gaseous CPOX reaction mixture to diffuse therein and hydrogen rich product reformate to diffuse therefrom. At least the exterior surface of the CPOX reaction zone can include a hydrogen barrier. The liquid fuel CPOX reformer can include a vaporizer, one or more igniters, and a source of liquid reformable fuel.

The invention is for use in gas chemistry for producing hydrogen-containing gas on the base of a CO and H.sub.2 mixture (syngas) from natural gas and other hydrocarbon gases. The object of the invention is to suppress side reactions resulting in soot formation when conducting the process in high productivity mode, and also to provide for an uncomplicated reactor design while maintaining compact dimensions thereof. The method for producing a hydrogen-containing gas comprises mixing natural gas with oxygen, partially oxidizing the natural gas with oxygen at a temperature ranging from 1300 C. to 1700 C. resulting in obtaining hydrogen-containing gas, and cooling the stream of the hydrogen-containing gas produced. Said cooling is performed until the temperature drops below 550 C. and at a rate above 100000 C./sec. The reactor comprises the following steps, which are arranged in series along the technological process: means for supplying natural gas and oxygen, a natural gas and oxygen mixing zone, a zone for conducting the reaction by partially oxidizing the natural gas with oxygen, and a zone for cooling the stream of the hydrogen-containing gas produced, which is equipped with a cooling body of revolution in order to provide an intensive cooling of the stream of hydrogen-containing gas by contacting thereof with said body of revolution.

A gas mixing device capable of safely mixing flammable gas containing, for example, methane or the like and combustion supporting gas such as oxygen-containing gas, and a synthesis gas producing device using this gas mixing device. Flammable gas containing methane or the like and combustion supporting gas such as oxygen-containing gas are supplied into a mixing vessel via a first gas supplying section and a second gas supplying section respectively, and these gases are mixed within a combustion range in the vessel to be discharged via a discharge section. In the mixing vessel, packings for forming a large number of narrow gas flow passages in the vessel are packed so that velocity of the mixed gas flowing in the vessel becomes higher than burning velocity of the flammable gas and the combustion supporting gas.

A process and related reactor (1) for oxidation of a hydrocarbon feedstock are disclosed, the reactor (1) comprising a vessel (3) and a neck (5) with an axial burner (6) and a tangential gas inlet (2), wherein the neck (5) has a swirling chamber (10) located below said burner (6) and connected to said gas inlet (2), to produce a gas vortex (V) which optimizes the mixing between the gas stream (G) and the oxidizer in said neck (5). Preferably the swirling chamber (10) has an internal surface (12) with a log-spiral profile.