Disclosed herein is a method of producing hydrogen, the method comprising: receiving a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons; performing one or more reforming processes on the feed gas so as to generate a reformed gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide; performing a water-gas-shift process on the reformed gas so as to generate a shifted gas comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide; performing a hydrogen separation process and a carbon dioxide separation process on the shifted gas to thereby generate separate streams of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and a rest gas; and the method further comprises recycling at least part of the rest gas by feeding at least part of the rest gas back into one or more of the one or more reforming processes, the water-gas-shift process, the hydrogen separation process and the carbon dioxide separation process; wherein the portion of the rest gas that is recycled is at least 50%, preferably at least 80%, and more preferably at least 90%.

A process for producing low or no carbon intensity hydrogen. In one embodiment, the process includes the step of pretreating a hydrocarbon gas stream. The pretreated hydrocarbon gas stream is fed into a reformer. The pretreated hydrocarbon gas steam is heated in the reformer to produce a synthesis gas stream and a flue gas stream. The flue gas stream is fed to a waste heat recovery section. Waste heat is recovered to increase the thermal efficiency of the process. The synthesis gas stream is fed to a shift gas reactor. Carbon monoxide from the synthesis gas stream in the shift gas reactor is converted to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is separated from the synthesis gas stream and the hydrogen is separated. In another embodiment, the carbon dioxide is captured following the hydrogen separation. In another embodiment, the carbon dioxide is captured from the flue gas.

Heat exchanger-reformer for use in a hydrogen production plant for producing syngas, for instance by means of a steam methane reforming method, wherein the reformer comprises vessel with a first inlet for supplying feed and a second inlet for supplying hot reformer effluent, preferably coming from a main steam methane reformer, wherein the heat exchanger-reformer further comprises a heat exchanging section that is arranged in fluid connection with the first and second inlets for exchanging heat between the feed and reformer effluent to effectuate steam reforming of hydrocarbon to produce syngas, wherein the heat exchanging section comprises a plate heat exchanger assembly for heat exchange between said feed and said reformer effluent.

A process for the production of hydrogen comprising the steps of subjecting a gaseous mixture comprising a hydrocarbon and steam and having a steam to carbon ratio of at least 2.6:1, to steam reforming in a gas-heated reformer followed by autothermal reforming with an oxygen-rich gas in an autothermal reformer to generate a reformed gas mixture, increasing the hydrogen content of the reformed gas mixture by subjecting it to one or more water-gas shift stages in a water-gas shift unit to provide a hydrogen-enriched reformed gas, cooling the hydrogen-enriched reformed gas and separating condensed water therefrom, passing the resulting de-watered hydrogen-enriched reformed gas to a carbon dioxide separation unit to provide a carbon dioxide gas stream and a crude hydrogen gas stream, and passing the crude hydrogen gas stream to a purification unit to provide a purified hydrogen gas and a fuel gas.

A direct carbonaceous material to power generation system integrates one or more solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) into a fluidized bed gasifier. The fuel cell anode is in direct contact with bed material so that the H.sub.2 and CO generated in the bed are oxidized to H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 to create a push-pull or source-sink reaction environment. The SOFC is exothermic and supplies heat within a reaction chamber of the gasifier where the fluidized bed conducts an endothermic reaction. The products from the anode are the reactants for the reformer and vice versa. A lower bed in the reaction chamber may comprise engineered multi-function material which may incorporate one or more catalysts and reactant adsorbent sites to facilitate excellent heat and mass transfer and fluidization dynamics in fluidized beds. The catalyst is capable of cracking tars and reforming hydrocarbons.

Method for the preparation of synthesis gas combining electrolysis of carbon dioxide, autothermal reforming and 5 optionally tubular steam reforming of a hydrocarbon feed stock.

A process for producing syngas and olefins includes the steps of feeding a catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reactant mixture having oxygen, first hydrocarbons, and optionally steam to a CPO reaction zone having a CPO catalyst such that at least a portion of the CPO reactant mixture reacts, via an exothermic CPO reaction, to produce syngas having hydrogen (H.sub.2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), water, and unreacted first hydrocarbons. The syngas is characterized by a molar ratio M defined as (H.sub.2−CO.sub.2)/(CO+CO.sub.2). The method further includes feeding a cracking zone feed having second hydrocarbons to a cracking zone such that at least a portion of the second hydrocarbons undergoes an endothermic cracking reaction to produce a cracking zone product stream having olefins, hydrogen, and unreacted second hydrocarbons; and cooling the CPO reaction zone by heating the cracking zone while cooling the CPO reaction zone via heat transfer between the CPO reaction zone and the cracking zone.

The invention relates to a chemical reactor and reformer tubes for reforming a first feed stream comprising a hydrocarbon gas and steam. The chemical reactor comprises a shell with a heat source and one or more reformer tubes. The reformer tube is arranged to house catalyst material and is arranged to being heated by the heat source. The reformer tube comprises a first inlet for feeding said first feed stream into a first reforming reaction zone of the reformer tube, and a feed conduct arranged to allow a second feed stream into a second reforming reaction zone of the reformer tube. The second reforming reaction zone is positioned downstream of the first reforming reaction zone. The feed conduct is configured so that the second feed stream is only in contact with catalyst material in the second reforming reaction zone. The invention also relates to a process of producing CO rich synthesis gas at low S/C conditions.

A plant is provided which comprises a reforming section, a gas separation section and a hydrocarbon-containing feed. The reforming section includes a heat exchange reformer and an electrical steam methane reformer (e-SMR) arranged downstream of said heat exchange reformer. The gas separation section is arranged to receive a synthesis gas stream from the reforming section and separate it into at least a condensate and a product gas. The plant is controlled by feedback control on the e-SMR.

The invention relates to a process for the start-up of an autothermal reformer, wherein syngas is produced in the autothermal reformer during start-up through steam reforming. To facilitate autoignition in the autothermal reformer reactor of the autothermal reformer, the reformed syngas is recycled to an upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor and is mixed with process steam and a hydrocarbon containing process stream. As soon as a minimum hydrogen threshold concentration at the upstream section of the autothermal reformer reactor is reached in the mixed process stream, oxygen is added to the burner of the ATR reactor to obtain autoignition of the mixed process stream. Due to the process of the invention, an external hydrogen source for facilitating autoignition of the mixed stream can be omitted. The invention further relates to a plant configured to carry out the process of the invention.