A box style steam methane reformer (15) has plural sections (37), with each section having walls (27-29-31, 33) forming an interior cavity (35) and open ends (43) that communicate with the interior cavity. Each section has a feedstock supply pipe (71) and a fuel supply pipe (63) located along the top wall, as well as a syngas collection pipe (79) and a flue gas collection duct (75) located outside of the bottom wall. The pipes and ducts have ends that are aligned with each other to allow the sections to be assembled together. Burners (67) are in the interior cavity and are connected to the fuel supply pipe. Reactor tubes (59) extend through the interior cavity. Refractory members (81) are located in the interior cavity and across a slot. The spacing between the refractory members varies to control the flow of flue gas.

An illustrative example reformer includes a housing having an inlet plenum, a reforming section, and an outlet. The inlet plenum includes a catalyst situated where a source fluid passing through the inlet plenum will be exposed to the catalyst prior to entering the reforming section.

Systems and methods are provided for performing hydrocarbon reforming within a reverse flow reactor environment (or another reactor environment with flows in opposing directions) while improving management of CO.sub.2 generated during operation of the reactor. The improved management of CO.sub.2 is achieved by making one or more changes to the operation of the reverse flow reactor. The changes can include using an air separation unit to provide an oxygen source with a reduced or minimized content of nitrogen and/or operating the reactor at elevated pressure during the regeneration stage. By operating the regeneration at elevated pressure, a regeneration flue gas can be generated that is enriched in CO.sub.2 at elevated pressure. The CO.sub.2-enriched stream can include primarily water as a contaminant, which can be removed by cooling while substantially maintaining the pressure of the stream. This can facilitate subsequent recovery and use of the CO.sub.2.

A steam reformer, comprising a combustion chamber, catalyst tubes arranged in several rows, feed conduits for the educt gas, which extend below the bottom of the combustion chamber, burners for heating the catalyst tubes which are installed in the bottom of the combustion chamber and are directed vertically upwards into the combustion chamber, feed conduits extending below the bottom of the combustion chamber, each for supplying the air and the fuel gas to the burners, openings installed in the ceiling of the combustion chamber for discharging the burner waste gas, and channels extending above the ceiling of the combustion chamber for discharging the burner waste gas.

A process for producing synthesis gas, the process including the steps of: a) in a reforming reactor, reacting a hydrocarbon feed stream together with an oxidant gas stream, thereby producing a first synthesis gas stream; b) providing a heated CO.sub.2 rich gas stream to an adiabatic post converter including a second catalyst active for catalyzing steam methane reforming, methanation and reverse water gas shift reactions; and c) in the adiabatic reforming post converter, letting at least a part of the first synthesis gas stream and the heated CO.sub.2 rich gas stream undergo steam methane reforming, methanation and reverse water gas shift reactions to thereby provide a product gas stream, the product gas stream being a synthesis gas stream. Also, a system for producing synthesis gas.

Systems and methods are provided for using a high heat capacity gas as at least a portion of the diluent during the regeneration step of a reverse flow reactor process. Instead of using nitrogen or air as the primary diluent gas, CO.sub.2 and/or H.sub.2O can be added as diluent gas for the regeneration step in the reaction cycle. Increasing the heat capacity of the diluent gas provides a reduction in the peak temperature within the reactor relative to the amount of fuel combusted during regeneration. This can allow for a reduction in the volume of diluent used during regeneration and/or an increase in the amount of fuel used. Reducing the volume of diluent can reduce the pressure drop during regeneration, which can provide a corresponding reduction in the amount of compression required for recycle of the diluent. Increasing the amount of fuel can allow for a corresponding increase in the amount of endothermic reaction performed during the reaction step.

Process for manufacturing a hydrogen-containing synthesis gas from a natural gas feedstock, comprising the conversion of said natural gas into a raw product gas and purification of said product gas, the process having a heat input provided by combustion of a fuel; said process comprises a step of conversion of a carbonaceous feedstock, and at least a portion of said fuel is a gaseous fuel obtained by said step of conversion of said carbonaceous feedstock.

Process for manufacturing a hydrogen-containing synthesis gas from a natural gas feedstock, comprising the conversion of said natural gas into a raw product gas and purification of said product gas, the process having a heat input provided by combustion of a fuel; said process comprises a step of conversion of a carbonaceous feedstock, and at least a portion of said fuel is a gaseous fuel obtained by said step of conversion of said carbonaceous feedstock.

The present disclosure is directed to steam reformers for the production of a hydrogen rich reformate, comprising a shell having a first end, a second end, and a passage extending generally between the first end and the second end of the shell, and at least one heat source disposed about the second end of the shell. The shell comprises at least one conduit member comprising at least one thermally emissive and high radiant emissivity material, at least partially disposed within the shell cavity. The shell further comprises at least one reactor module at least a portion of which is disposed within the shell cavity and about the at least one conduit member and comprises at least one reforming catalyst. The disclosure is also directed to methods of producing a hydrogen reformate utilizing the steam reformers, comprising the steps of combusting a combustible mixture in a burner to produce a combustion exhaust that interacts with the steam reactor module(s) through surface to surface radiation and convection heat transfer, and reforming a hydrocarbon fuel mixed with steam in the steam reformers to produce a hydrogen-containing reformate. The present disclosure is further directed to reactor modules for use with the above steam reformers and methods of producing a hydrogen reformate.

A steam reformer, with a combustion chamber, catalyst tubes arranged in several rows, with burners for heating the catalyst tubes, with feed conduits each for supplying the catalyst tubes with educt gas and the burners with air and fuel gas, with collecting conduits for discharging the product gas, with channels for discharging the burner waste gases from the combustion chamber, wherein the ceilings of the channels each are formed by the bottom or the ceiling of the combustion chamber, and wherein the channels for discharging the burner waste gases are designed such that the flow velocity of the burner waste gases is constant along the entire length of the channels, as seen vertically to the catalyst tubes.