Patent ID: 7807130

Claim:
A method for generating hydrogen in a fuel processor, the fuel processor comprising a burner, a reformer and a dewar that at least partially contains the burner and reformer, the method comprising: combusting a fuel source in the burner to generate heat in burner; transferring heat from the burner to a dewar chamber via conductive heat transfer using a wall shared by the dewar chamber and the burner; passing a process gas or liquid through the dewar chamber bordered by the wall shared by the dewar chamber and the burner; recycling the heat transferred from the burner back into the burner, wherein recycling comprises: heating the process gas or liquid in the dewar chamber using heat transferred to the dewar wall from the burner; and supplying the process gas to the burner or reformer by supplying pre-heated process gas from the dewar chamber directly to the burner after it has been heated in the dewar chamber to form a pre-heated gas or liquid; transferring heat generated in the burner to the reformer; and reforming the fuel source to produce hydrogen.