Patent ID: 8124049

Claim:
A high thermal efficiency process for hydrogen recovery, comprising; combusting a first fuel stream to a reforming furnace, thereby producing reforming heat and a hot exhaust stream; exchanging heat indirectly between said hot exhaust stream and a first feed water stream, thereby producing a first steam stream; providing a hydrocarbon containing stream and a feed steam stream to said reforming furnace, utilizing said reforming heat and producing a hot raw syngas stream; exchanging heat indirectly between said hot raw syngas stream and second feedwater stream, thereby producing a second steam stream and a cooled, raw syngas stream; introducing said cooled, raw syngas stream to a CO shift converter, thereby producing a shifted syngas stream; introducing said shifted syngas stream into a pressure swing adsorption unit, thereby producing a hydrogen product stream and a tail gas stream; introducing said tail gas stream to a CO2 removal unit, thereby producing a CO2 stream and a recycle stream; compressing said recycle stream, thereby producing a compressed recycle stream; combining said compressed recycle stream with at least one stream selected from the group consisting of said hydrocarbon containing stream, said cooled raw syngas stream, said shifted syngas stream, and said tail gas stream; and combining said first steam stream and said second steam stream, thereby producing said feed steam stream.