The inventions is directed to a new design for catalyst tubes, which makes it possible to apply the concept of regenerative reforming into steam reformers having catalyst tube inlets and outlets at opposite sides of the furnace chamber. The catalyst tube comprises an inlet for process gas to enter the catalyst tube and an outlet for process gas to exit the catalyst tube, which inlet and outlet are located at opposite ends of the catalyst tube. The catalyst tube further comprises a first annular channel comprising the catalyst, a second annular channel for process gas to flow countercurrently or co-currently to the process gas flowing through the first annular channel.

The invention relates to a direct-fired heating method and to a facility for implementing same, According to said method, a load is heated in a furnace with heat generated by burning fuel with an oxidant; the smoke generated is evacuated from the furnace, the evacuated smoke containing residual heat energy; residual heat energy is recovered from the evacuated smoke and introduced into a synthesis reactor wherein syngas is produced; and at least part of the syngas is burned in the furnace in order to heat the load.

A reformer of the present disclosure includes a reformer body which has a cylindrical shape and extends horizontally, introducing raw fuel and water to perform a reforming reaction, the reformer body including therein a vaporization portion which generates steam, and a reforming portion which reacts the steam generated in the vaporization portion with raw fuel to generate a reformed gas; a raw fuel introduction pipe which introduces the raw fuel into the reformer body; a water introduction pipe including therein a water passage which introduces water into the reformer body; and a vaporization accelerating portion which is disposed in at least one of the vaporization portion and the water introduction pipe and accelerates vaporization of water in the vaporization portion.

A high-temperature fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that includes an anode and a cathode and that generates power by using a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, a fuel-gas path along which the fuel gas flows, an oxidant-gas path along which the oxidant gas flows, an anode-off-gas path along which an anode off-gas flows, a cathode-off-gas path along which a cathode off-gas flows, a combustion space in communication with the anode-off-gas path and the cathode-off-gas path and in which the anode off-gas and the cathode off-gas are burned, a flue-gas path along which a flue gas flows, a cathode-off-gas branch portion disposed on the cathode-off-gas path between the combustion space and the cathode and at which some of the cathode off-gas is branched from the cathode-off-gas path, and a first heat exchanger that enables heat exchange between the oxidant gas, the flue gas, and the cathode off-gas.

A furnace for performing an endothermic process, comprising tubes containing a catalyst for converting a gaseous feed, wherein tubes are positioned in rows inside the furnace, wherein burners are mounted between the tubes and between the tubes and the furnace walls parallel to the tubes rows, and wherein the burners rows and the tubes rows are ended by end walls and are divided into sections with, on each row of tubes, the distance from a wall end tube to the end wall being T2W, the distance between two adjacent inner tubes in a section being T2T, and the distance between two symmetry end tubes of two adjacent sections being T2S, wherein the tubes in the rows are arranged in such a way that the ratios T2T/T2W and T2T/T2S are greater than 0.5 and smaller than 2 thus limiting the differences in the heat transfer to the outer tubes (wall end tubes and symmetry end tubes) with respect to the inner tubes and reducing the temperature difference between outer tubes and inner tubes.

A process for steam or dry reforming of hydrocarbons in a reforming reactor, comprising the steps of: (a) passing a feedstock, comprising one or more hydrocarbons together with steam and/or CO.sub.2, through a first catalytic zone at an elevated temperature, to form a partly reformed process gas, wherein the first catalytic zone comprises one or more elongate conduits, each containing reforming catalyst; and (b) passing the partly reformed process gas through a second catalytic zone at an elevated temperature, so as to form a reformed gas stream, wherein the second catalytic zone comprises one or more elongate conduits, each containing reforming catalyst; wherein the process further comprises the combustion of a fluid fuel with a combustion-sustaining medium in an exothermic combustion region, to form a hot combustion products stream, wherein the exothermic combustion region is adjacent to and laterally surrounds each of the second catalytic zone elongate conduits.

The system includes a methane reformer, a combined cycle power generator, and a switch. The reformer is configured to react methane with steam. The combined cycle power generator includes a steam turbine, a gas turbine, a power generator, and a water boiler. The steam turbine is configured to rotate in response to receiving steam. The gas turbine is configured to rotate in response to receiving a mixture of fuel and air. The power generator is configured to convert rotational energy from the steam turbine and the gas turbine into electricity. In a first position, the switch is configured to direct exhaust from the gas turbine to the reformer, thereby providing heat to the reformer. In a second position, the switch is configured to direct exhaust from the gas turbine to the water boiler, thereby providing heat to the water boiler to generate steam.

A plant for producing a synthesis gas chiefly consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide by catalytic steam reformation of a hydrocarbonaceous feed gas, wherein the heat of burners required for the chemical reforming reactions to take place is generated by producing a flue gas and wherein, by utilizing the heat contained in the synthesis gas and in the flue gas, a pure steam is generated from boiler feed water and a process steam is generated from process condensate, wherein for the generation of the pure steam synthesis gas and flue gas are used and for the generation of the process steam a part of the pure steam is used as heat-transfer medium and the remaining part of the pure steam is discharged from the process as export steam.

A system and method for producing hydrogen, including providing hydrocarbon and steam into a vessel to a region external to a tubular membrane in the vessel. The method includes steam reforming the hydrocarbon in the vessel via reforming catalyst to generate hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The method includes diffusing the hydrogen through the tubular membrane into a bore of the tubular membrane, wherein the tubular membrane is hydrogen selective.

Methods of using sorbents to enhance the production of hydrogen from fuel, and related systems, are generally described. In some embodiments, the production of hydrogen from the fuel involves a reforming reaction and/or a gasification reaction combined with a water-gas shift reaction.