Hydrogen generation assemblies and methods of generating hydrogen are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include receiving a feed stream in a fuel processing assembly of the hydrogen generation assembly; and generating a product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly from the received feed stream. Generating a product hydrogen stream may, in some embodiments, include generating an output stream in a hydrogen generating region from the received feed stream, and generating the product hydrogen stream in a purification region from the output stream. The method may additionally include receiving the generated product hydrogen stream in a buffer tank of the hydrogen generation assembly; and detecting pressure in the buffer tank via a tank sensor assembly. The method may further include stopping generation of the product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly when the detected pressure in the buffer tank is above a predetermined maximum pressure.

A chemical reaction system comprises: a supply source to generate a first carbon compound including at least one of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; an electrochemical reaction device to generate a second carbon compound including carbon monoxide by a reduction reaction of carbon dioxide; a reactor to generate a product including a third carbon compound by a chemical reaction of a reactant including hydrogen and at least one of the first and second carbon compounds; and a flow path through which the second carbon compound is suppled from the electrochemical reaction device to at least one of the supply source and the reactor.

A process for removing hydrogen and methanol from a CO2 stream which contains hydrogen and methanol as contaminants, wherein hydrogen and methanol are removed by contacting the CO2 stream with a catalyst which oxidizes hydrogen to water and methanol to carbon dioxide, obtaining a purified CO2 stream.

A method for the co-production of hydrogen and methanol including a hydrocarbon reforming or gasification device producing a syngas stream comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; introducing the syngas stream to a water gas shift reaction thereby converting at least a portion of the CO and H2O into H2 and CO2 contained in a shifted gas stream; cooling the shifted gas stream and condensing and removing the condensed fraction of H2O; then dividing the shifted syngas stream into a first stream and a second stream; introducing the first stream into a first hydrogen separation device, thereby producing a hydrogen stream, and introducing the second stream into a methanol synthesis reactor, thereby producing a crude methanol stream and a methanol synthesis off gas; introducing at least a portion of the methanol synthesis off gas into a second hydrogen separation device.

The present disclosure includes a method of producing a liquid FT hydrocarbon stream, an FT tail gas stream and an FT water stream using an FT reactor feed in an FT reactor under low temperature, high pressure FT operating conditions. The FT reactor feed includes syngas, the syngas having a low H.sub.2:CO ratio in the range of approximately 1.4:1 to approximately 1.8:1, and carbon dioxide at a level of at least as high as about 10 volume percent. The FT reactor has a cobalt-based, alumina-supported FT catalyst. In embodiments, a syngas preparation unit is used to produce the syngas and carbon dioxide recovered from the FT tail gas is recycled to the syngas preparation unit. Other methods, systems and apparatuses are also disclosed.

A method for producing a fuel composition, including the following steps: providing special gas containing combustible substances; reforming a first part of the special gas by producing synthesis gas; producing dimethyl ether from the synthesis gas by producing a reaction mixture containing a dimethyl ether; separating methanol from the reaction mixture and producing a methanol-reduced dimethyl ether mixture; and bringing together a second part of the special gas with the methanol reduced dimethyl ether mixture in order to obtain the fuel composition.

Methods for the reformation of gaseous hydrocarbons are provided. The methods can include forming a bubble containing the gaseous hydrocarbon in a liquid. The bubble can be generated to pass in a gap between a pair of electrodes, whereby an electrical discharge is generated in the bubble at the gap between the electrodes. The electrodes can be a metal or metal alloy with a high melting point so they can sustain high voltages of up to about 200 kilovolts. The gaseous hydrocarbon can be combined with an additive gas such as molecular oxygen or carbon dioxide. The reformation of the gaseous hydrocarbon can produce mixtures containing one or more of H.sub.2, CO, H.sub.2O, CO.sub.2, and a lower hydrocarbon such as ethane or ethylene. The reformation of the gaseous hydrocarbon can produce low amounts of CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2O, e.g. about 15 mol-% or less.

Plasma devices for hydrocarbon reformation are provided. Methods of using the devices for hydrocarbon reformation are also provided. The devices can include a liquid container to receive a hydrocarbon source, and a plasma torch configured to be submerged in the liquid. The plasma plume from the plasma torch can cause reformation of the hydrocarbon. The device can use a variety of plasma torches that can be arranged in a variety of positions in the liquid container. The devices can be used for the reformation of gaseous hydrocarbons and/or liquid hydrocarbons. The reformation can produce methane, lower hydrocarbons, higher hydrocarbons, hydrogen gas, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or a combination thereof.

The invention relates to the production of synthesis gas by means of particularly a series arrangement of heat exchange reforming and autothermal reforming stages, in which the heat required for the reforming reactions in the heat exchange reforming stage is provided by hot effluent synthesis gas from the autothermal reforming stage. More particularly, the invention relates to optimisation of the operation and control of an arrangement of heat exchange reforming and autothermal reforming stages and introduction of an additional waste heat boiler.

A process for obtaining hydrogen from methanol or ammonia, for fuel cell operation, for example, wherein methanol or ammonia is subjected to evaporation in a first step and in a second step to reforming to give a hydrogen-containing gas mixture, in a third step hydrogen is removed from this gas mixture in a membrane process at a temperature of 300 to 600? C. and in a fourth step the gaseous retentate from the membrane process is burned with ambient air, wherein the second step is a process step upstream of and separate from the third step and the combustion gases are routed via at least two different heat exchangers to provide (i) first the reaction heat for reforming the methanol or ammonia and (ii) then the evaporation heat for evaporating the reformer feed, wherein the permeate from the membrane process preheats the ambient air for the burner in a heat exchanger