Patent ID: 8216324

Claim:
A process for the production of hydrogen that is integrated thermally from an ethanol liquid hydrocarbon feedstock that contains sulfur-containing compounds, said process comprising: (a) heating ethanol liquid hydrocarbon feedstock by indirect heat exchange with a hot stream which is: a stream from an autothermal reformer that was previously cooled by heat exchange with one or more other streams, a stream exiting a reactor converting carbon monoxide with water, or a stream exiting from a reactor converting carbon monoxide with water that was previously cooled by heat exchange with one or more other streams, wherein the temperature of the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock at the outlet of the heat exchanger of (a) is between 60° C. and 150° C., and the temperature of the evaporated hydrocarbon feedstock at the outlet of the heat exchanger of (c) is between 300° C. and 400° C.; (b) introducing hydrocarbon feedstock, heated during stage a, into a desulfurization unit, (c) evaporating hydrocarbon feedstock obtained from (b) by indirect heat exchange with hot stream exiting from the autothermal reformer; (d) subjecting evaporated hydrocarbon feedstock, obtained from the stage c, to an autothermal reforming in the presence of water and a source of oxygen, so as to produce a hydrogen-rich gaseous stream; (e) introducing the hydrogen rich gaseous stream that is obtained from d into a reactor for converting carbon monoxide with water so as to reduce the content of carbon monoxide in hydrogen-rich gas produced.