Patent ID: 7850944

Claim:
A method for generating hydrogen in a production facility comprising: forming a reformer feed gas mixture stream from a feed steam stream and a reformer feedstock stream comprising a hydrocarbon wherein the feed steam stream has a first steam mass flow rate, R 1 ; introducing the reformer feed gas mixture stream into a plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes of a catalytic steam reformer and reacting the hydrocarbon with the steam in a reforming reaction under reaction conditions effective to form a reformed gas mixture comprising hydrogen; introducing a fuel into a combustion section of the reformer; introducing oxygen and nitrogen into the combustion section of the reformer at an O 2 to N 2 molar ratio of 0.35 to 2.3; combusting the fuel with the oxygen in the combustion section under conditions effective to combust the fuel to form a combustion product gas mixture and generate heat to supply energy for the reforming reaction; withdrawing the combustion product gas mixture from the combustion section of the reformer; withdrawing the reformed gas mixture from the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes; and generating an intermediate gas stream comprising steam from a liquid water-containing stream via indirect heat exchange between the liquid water-containing stream and at least one of a stream formed from the reformed gas mixture and a stream formed from the combustion product gas mixture, the intermediate gas stream comprising steam having a pressure of 2 MPa to 12 MPa and having a second steam mass flow rate, R 2 , wherein 0.9 ≤ R 2 R 1 ≤ 1.2 .