Patent ID: 8617511

Claim:
Process for producing hydrogen from methanol, comprising providing at least one flow of methanol and (1) catalytically converting part of the methanol or a fuel gas with air oxygen to carbon dioxide and water, while generating heat and (2) catalytically converting the methanol or the remaining part of the methanol at elevated temperature to hydrogen and carbon monoxide, followed by conversion of the carbon monoxide with water to hydrogen and carbon dioxide, wherein the heat generated in step (1) is sufficient to produce the elevated temperature required in step (2), wherein both steps (1) and (2) are each carried out in a bed of sintered metal particles, the bed of sintered metal in step (2) having a surface that is catalytically active by catalyst applied to the surface of the sintered metal for the conversion of methanol to hydrogen, and wherein the bed of sintered metal particles used in step (1) and the bed of sintered metal particles used in step (2) are in heat exchanging relationship.