Patent ID: 7803202

Claim:
Reformer unit for generating hydrogen from a starting material comprising a hydrocarbon-water mixture, having: a. a reactor vessel ( 1 ) comprising a combustion chamber; b. a feed line ( 2 ) for feeding a heat absorbing starting material into the reactor vessel ( 1 ); c. a heat exchanger ( 3 ) in said combustion chamber, said heat exchanger ( 3 ) in the form of a coaxial heat exchanger having an outer tube ( 3 a ) and an inner tube ( 3 b ), said outer tube ( 3 a ) connected to the starting-material feed line ( 2 ), said starting material in tube ( 3 a ) in thermal communication with a flue gas in said combustion chamber, said inner tube ( 3 b ) connecting to a reformer space ( 6 ) to receive a reformate, said starting material in tube ( 3 a ) in thermal communication with reformate in said inner tube ( 3 b ); d. a further heat exchanger ( 5 ), which is connected to the outer tube ( 3 a ) of the heat exchanger ( 3 ) and is arranged around the reformer space ( 6 ); e. a line ( 8 ) which is connected to the heat exchanger ( 5 ) and has at least one outlet opening for feeding starting material in gaseous form into the reformer space ( 6 ), with a catalyst unit arranged therein which can be heated by a burner ( 7 ) in said combustion chamber, wherein combustion at the burner results in generation of the flue gas; f. at least one discharge line ( 9 ) for discharging the reformate which has been formed in the reformer space ( 6 ) to the inner tube ( 3 b ) of the heat exchanger ( 3 ), which at the other end is connected to a shift reactor ( 4 ); and g. a product discharge line ( 11 ) for the product gas which has been discharged from the shift reactor ( 4 ), and at least one discharge line ( 12 ) for the flue gas from the reactor vessel ( 1 ).