A reformer tube for producing synthesis gas by steam reforming of hydrocarbon-containing feed gases, in which a structured stream reforming catalyst is used, is proposed. According to the invention, a heat exchanger tube is arranged in the interior of the structured catalyst, with the feed gas stream flowing firstly through the structured catalyst and subsequently in countercurrent through the heat exchanger tube. This improves the heat exchange between the synthesis gas product stream and the structured catalyst and the feed gas stream flowing through it, especially in the radial direction.

Provided is a synthesis gas production catalyst structure or the like which can maintain stable high catalytic activity for a long period of time without degradation and can allow efficient production of a synthesis gas including carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The synthesis gas production catalyst structure 1 for use in producing a synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the synthesis gas production catalyst structure 1 including: supports 10 each having a porous structure and including a zeolite-type compound; and at least one catalytic material 20 present in the supports 10, in which each of the supports 10 has channels 11 communicating with one another, each of the supports 10 has a ratio (L/d ratio) of long side dimension L to thickness dimension d of 5.0 or more, and the catalytic material 20 is present at least in the channel 11 of each of the supports 10.

A process is described for steam reforming a hydrocarbon feedstock, comprising passing a mixture of the hydrocarbon feedstock and steam through a catalyst bed comprising a particulate nickel steam reforming catalyst and a structured nickel steam reforming catalyst disposed within a plurality of externally heated tubes in a tubular steam reformer, wherein each tube has an inlet to which the mixture of hydrocarbon and steam is fed, an outlet from which a reformed gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam and methane is recovered, and the steam reforming catalyst at the outlet of the tubes is the structured steam reforming catalyst, wherein the particulate steam reforming catalyst comprises 5 to 30% by weight nickel, and the structured steam reforming catalyst comprises nickel dispersed over the surface of a porous metal oxide present as a coating on a non-porous metal or ceramic structure.

A process for steam reforming a hydrocarbon feedstock containing one or more nitrogen compounds, including passing a mixture of the hydrocarbon feedstock and steam through a catalyst bed of one or more nickel steam reforming catalysts disposed within a plurality of externally heated tubes in a tubular steam reformer, each tube having an inlet to which the mixture of hydrocarbon and steam is fed, an outlet from which a reformed gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, ammonia and methane is recovered. The steam reforming catalyst at least at the outlet of the tubes comprises nickel dispersed over a porous metal oxide surface present as a coating on a non-porous metal or ceramic structure. The nickel content of the metal oxide coating is in the range of 5 to 50% by weight and the thickness of the coating is in the range of 5 to 150 micrometres.

Proposed is a carbon dioxide reforming (CDR) reactor having a multilayered catalyst layer arrangement for preventing catalyst deactivation, wherein, in the reactor in which a CDR reaction for reacting methane (CH.sub.4) with carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) to reform the methane into a synthesis gas including carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H.sub.2) is performed, in order to prevent a case where an endothermic reaction between a catalyst and heated reactant gas supplied to the reactor gradually causes the temperature of the reactant gas to decrease and the catalyst is deactivated by cokes generated due to the decrease in temperature of the reactant gas, CDR catalysts in the reactor are arranged in multiple layers in a multilayered structure to allow the reactant gas temperature that has decreased due to the endothermic reaction to be restored in spaces between the catalyst layers.

A process is described for steam reforming a hydrocarbon feedstock containing one or more nitrogen compounds, comprising passing a mixture of the hydrocarbon feedstock and steam through a catalyst bed consisting of one nickel steam reforming catalysts disposed within a plurality of externally heated tubes in a tubular steam reformer, wherein each tube has an inlet to which the mixture of hydrocarbon and steam is fed, an outlet from which a reformed gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, ammonia and methane is recovered, and the steam reforming catalyst at least at the outlet of the tubes is a particulate eggshell steam reforming catalyst comprising 2.5 to 9.5% by weight nickel, expressed as NiO, wherein the nickel is provided in a layer at the surface of the catalyst and the thickness of layer is in the range of 100 to 1000 μm.

A process for hydrogen recovery from refinery gas system comprising supplying the refinery gas to an inlet manifold fluidly coupled to a conditioning stage, the conditioning stage comprising a reactor having a reforming catalyst deposited on an ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate; supplying oxidant to the conditioning stage via the inlet manifold; supplying steam from a steam generator to the conditioning stage via the inlet , manifold; reacting the refinery gas in the conditioning stage; and discharging a product through a discharge outlet fluidly coupled to the conditioning stage, the discharge outlet configured to flow the product for use by a downstream reformer. The process allows to either increase the H2 production rate or lower the firing rate while maintaining a constant H2 production rate for the downstream steam reformer, independent of the feed compositional variability of the refinery or still gas.

[Task] To avoid use of direct fire and suppress CO.sub.2 emission when heating a heat medium used to input heat to dehydrogenation reaction of hydrogenated aromatics.

[Solution] A hydrogen station 1 includes: a dehydrogenation reactor 23 that produces hydrogen by dehydrogenation reaction of a hydrogenated aromatic in presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst; a heat supply device 26 that supplies heat to the dehydrogenation reactor via a heat medium heated by using fuel; and a PSA device 33 that purifies a reaction product gas in the dehydrogenation reactor by using an adsorbent according to a pressure swing adsorption method, wherein the PSA device is supplied with a purge gas containing hydrogen used in regeneration of the adsorbent, the heat supply device includes a storage tank 27 storing the heat medium and a catalytic combustion tube 28 disposed in the storage tank to catalytically combust the fuel in presence of a combustion catalyst, and the catalytic combustion tube is supplied with the purge gas discharged from the PSA device as the fuel together with air.

A heat integrated steam reformer, which incorporates a catalytic combustor, which can be used in a fuel processor for hydrogen production from a fuel source, is described. The reformer assembly comprises a reforming section and a combustion section, separated by a wall. Catalyst (21) able to induce the reforming reactions is placed in the reforming section, either in the form of pellets or in the form of coating on a suitable structured catalyst substrate such as fecralloy sheets. Catalyst (22) able to induce the combustion reactions is placed in the combustion section in the form of coating on suitable structured catalyst substrate such as fecralloy sheet. A steam and fuel mixture (30) is supplied to the reforming section (14) where it is reformed to produce hydrogen. A fuel and an oxygen (32) containing gas mixture is supplied to the combustion section where it is catalytically combusted to supply the heat for the reformer. The close placement of the combustion and reforming catalysts facilitate efficient heat transfer. Multiple such assemblies can be bundled to form reactors of any size. The reactor made of this closely packed combustion and reforming sections is very compact.

A steam reformer is provided which comprises at least one externally-heated tube. Each tube comprises a first catalyst bed comprising a first catalyst in particulate form and a second catalyst supported on a structure, wherein said first catalyst bed is located between the inlet of the tube and the second catalyst supported on said structure. A process for steam reforming of a feed gas mixture using said steam reformer is also provided.