A segregated steam system and process in a hydrogen production facility wherein boiler feed water is heated by indirect heat exchange with a reformate, the heated boiler feed water is used to heat water condensate formed from the reformate, the heated water condensate is passed to a first steam drum for producing steam for a reformer feed gas mixture, and a second portion of the heated boiler feed water is passed to a second steam drum for producing steam for export.

A process is proposed for producing pure hydrogen by steam reforming of a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons, preferably natural gas or naphtha, with a simultaneously low and preferably adjustable export steam flow rate. The process includes the steam reforming of the feed gas, for which the heat of reaction required is provided by combustion of one or more fuel gases with combustion air in a multitude of burners arranged within the reformer furnace. According to the invention, the combustion air, before being introduced into the burners, is heated by means of at least one heat exchanger in indirect heat exchange with the hot flue gas to temperatures of at least 530° C.

A method for processing feedstock is described, characterized in that incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock. In some embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of mixed solid waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSW). In other embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of woody biomass. In some instances, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% and greater suitable for conversion into biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids. The high biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids may be upgraded to biogenic carbon liquid fuels. Alternatively, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover plastic material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% or less.

Methods and systems for producing a thermally converted product stream (and optionally heat and power) from a high value heat source using a plurality of circulating loops comprising a primary heat transfer loop, several substantially not recirculated process heater, reactor or separator systems and an intermediate heat transfer loop that transfers heat from the high-temperature heat transfer loop to the several process heater, reactor or separator systems. The intermediate heat transfer loop is arranged to eliminate to the extent practical the shell and tube heat exchangers especially those heat exchangers that have a very large pressure difference between the tube side and shell side, to eliminate shell and tube, plate type, double pipe and similar heat exchangers that transfer heat directly from the primary heat transfer loop to the several process heater, reactor or separator systems with very high differential pressures and to maximize the use of heat transfer coils similar in design as are used in a heat recovery steam generator commonly used to transfer heat from gas turbine flue gas to steam or other power cycle fluids as part of a combined cycle power plant.

Disclosed herein is an integrated small and medium-sized natural gas steam reforming reactor comprising a furnace body, a combustion module located outside the furnace body, and a conversion reaction module, a steam generation and superheating module, a medium temperature shift module and a desulfurization module arranged inside the furnace body, wherein the combustion module supplies combustion flue gas into an interior of the furnace body, the interior of the furnace body is partitioned into a plurality of flue cavities by a plurality of high-temperature partition plates, and adjacent flue cavities are communicated via gaps between the high-temperature partition plates and an inner wall of the furnace body, thus forming a flue gas channel that zigzags several times; and the flue cavities and the modules arranged therein sequentially form a conversion unit, a steam generation unit, a medium temperature shift unit and a desulfurization unit.

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 synthesis process comprising steam reforming a gaseous hydrocarbon feedstock; exothermically reacting the resulting synthesis gas; removing heat from said exothermal reaction by producing steam; using said steam as heat input to the steam reforming, wherein the steam reforming comprises: a) forming a mixture containing steam and hydrocarbons by at least the step of adding a first stream of water to the hydrocarbon feedstock; b) heating said mixture by indirect heat exchange with synthesis gas; c) reforming said mixture after said heating step b).

A volume of natural gas including a volume of methane and a volume of other alkanes may be cleaned of the other alkanes using a steam reformer system to create synthesis gas.

An apparatus for improving thermal efficiency of steam production is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus can include: a BFW heat exchanger in fluid communication with a hydrocarbon gas source and a boiler feed water source, wherein the BFW heat exchanger is configured to allow for the natural gas stream to exchange heat with the first BFW stream such that the hydrocarbon gas stream is pre-heated within the BFW heat exchanger and the BFW stream is cooled; a syngas production facility in fluid communication with the BFW heat exchanger, wherein the syngas production facility comprises a steam methane reformer (SMR) that is configured to convert natural gas within the hydrocarbon gas stream into a hot product stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide, wherein the SMR comprises a plurality of burners; and a third heat exchanger in fluid communication with the first heat exchanger and the syngas production facility, wherein the third heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat between the hot product stream and the first BFW stream, thereby creating a hot BFW stream and a cooled product stream.

A segregated steam system and process in a hydrogen production facility wherein boiler feed water is heated by indirect heat exchange with a reformate, the heated boiler feed water is used to heat water condensate formed from the reformate, the heated water condensate is passed to a first steam drum for producing steam for a reformer feed gas mixture, and a second portion of the heated boiler feed water is passed to a second steam drum for producing steam for export.