The invention relates to a process and an apparatus for cooling a flue gas stream from a reformer furnace of a steam reformer for steam reforming a hydrocarbon containing feed stream with a reforming steam stream to produce a crude synthesis gas stream. According to the invention, the flue gases are cooled by heat exchange with air in a combustion air preheater which comprises at least two separate heat exchange zones, and the temperature of the flue gas stream passing the separate heat exchange zones decreases stepwise in flow direction of the flue gas stream.

The present invention proposes a process and a plant for producing a synthesis gas product stream by steam reforming of hydrocarbons, wherein the emission of carbon monoxide which is discharged to the environment together with a carbon dioxide-rich gas stream is reduced. According to the invention a first portion of the carbon monoxide-containing carbon dioxide-rich gas stream is introduced into the reformer furnace via at least one burner and/or into the reformer furnace outside the burners and at a location in the reformer furnace at which the local gas temperature is at least 1000? C. and/or into the flue gas conduit and/or into the flue gas chimney. A second portion of the carbon monoxide-containing carbon dioxide-rich gas stream is introduced into the reformer tubes.

The invention relates to a process for producing hydrogen, having a steam methane reforming step for producing synthesis gas, in which heat for the endothermic reaction is at least partially provided by converting electrical energy into heat. The synthesis gas is subject to a water-gas shift step and the shift product is separated into a hydrogen product and a tail gas. The latter is subject to a tail gas separation step, producing a hydrogen rich stream, a carbon dioxide product, and an off-gas stream rich in carbon monoxide and methane. The hydrogen rich stream is recycled to the shifted synthesis gas. According to the invention, off-gas obtained in the tail gas separation step is recycled to the hydrocarbon containing feedstock stream, so that a combined stream of hydrocarbon containing feedstock, off-gas and steam is supplied to the steam methane reforming step.

The invention relates to a process for producing hydrogen, having a steam methane reforming step for producing synthesis gas, in which heat for the endothermic reaction is at least partially provided by converting electrical energy into heat. The synthesis gas is subject to a water-gas shift step and the shift product is subject to a chemical scrubbing step, to afford a carbon dioxide product stream and a hydrogen raw product stream. The hydrogen raw product stream is further purified by means of a hydrogen production step, which affords pure hydrogen and an off-gas stream. The off-gas stream, rich in carbon monoxide and methane, is recycled to the hydrocarbon containing feedstock stream, so that a combined stream of hydrocarbon containing feedstock, off-gas and steam is supplied to the steam methane reforming (SMR) step.

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.

Provided is a process for producing synthesis gas with minimized emissions of ammonia. The process includes converting hydrocarbon containing feed stream in reformer tubes (104A-N) and discharging a crude synthesis gas stream and a flue gas stream, routing the flue gas stream through a catalyst unit (112), cooling the crude synthesis gas stream to form an aqueous condensate stream comprising ammonia, tripping the aqueous condensate stream comprising ammonia with a stripping gas stream, routing out a condensate stream depleted in ammonia and a stripping gas stream enriched in ammonia, introducing the stripping gas stream enriched in ammonia into a flue gas duct (110), where both the at least a portion of the flue gas stream and the at least a portion of the stripping gas stream enriched in ammonia pass through a first catalyst zone (114) and subsequently through a second catalyst zone (116) of the catalyst unit (112).

A hydrocarbon is reacted with water in the presence of a catalyst to form hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Hydrogen is selectively allowed to pass through a hydrogen separation membrane to a permeate side of a reactor, while water and carbon-containing compounds remain in a retentate side of the reactor. An outlet stream is flowed from the retentate side to a heat exchanger. The outlet stream is cooled to form a cooled stream. The cooled stream is separated into a liquid phase and a vapor phase. The liquid phase is flowed to the heat exchanger and heated to form steam. The vapor phase is cooled to form condensed water and a first offgas stream. The first offgas stream is cooled to form condensed carbon dioxide and a second offgas stream. The steam and the second offgas stream are recycled to the reactor.

A process and a plant for producing pure hydrogen by steam reforming of a feed gas containing hydrocarbons. preferably natural gas or naphtha. with reduced carbon dioxide emissions are proposed. The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is achieved in accordance with the invention in that carbon dioxide is separated both out of the converted cooled synthesis gas and out of the flue gas from the reformer furnace by means of suit-able measures.

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system including a steam reformer, a hydrogen purification system, a pre-reformer, and a solid oxide fuel cell.

Processes that generate syngas or reformed gas that have the desired H2/CO ratio, such that they can be used directly for producing higher value liquids, such as using a FT GTL process. The systems and methods of the present invention are simpler and more cost effective than conventional systems and methods. The systems and methods of the present invention generate the required CO2 in a reforming furnace by combusting natural gas with a mixture of O2 from an external source and CO2 that is recirculated from a reforming furnace. A second application of the natural gas combustion with external O2 mixed with recirculated CO2 in the reformer burners can be utilized in a DR process. The reformed gas or syngas containing H2 and CO is used to reduce iron oxide to metallic iron in a shaft furnace, for example.