Patent ID: 8557452

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: a fuel processor ( 40 ) including at least a steam reformer ( 42 ) and a shift reactor ( 44 ) configured to provide hydrogen-rich reformate gas in an output conduit ( 11 ); a hydrodesulfurizer ( 21 ); an ejector ( 28 ) configured to receive steam ( 36 ) at a primary inlet ( 29 ), the ejector configured to provide ejector outflow ( 38 ) to said fuel processor, a secondary inlet ( 26 ) of said ejector being configured to receive desulfurized fuel from said hydrodesulfurizer; a feedstock pressurizing pump ( 14 ) configured to receive hydrocarbon feedstock ( 12 ) at a pump inlet ( 15 ) and provide pressurized hydrocarbon feedstock to said hydrodesulfurizer; characterized by: a gas flow connection ( 18 , 19 a , 45 ) between the output conduit ( 11 ) of said fuel processor and the inlet ( 15 ) of said feedstock pressurizing pump, configured to convey a portion of hydrogen-rich reformate gas produced by said fuel processor to the inlet of said feedstock pressurizing pump.