Patent ID: 6932958

Claim:
A method for reforming a hydrocarbon fuel comprising the steps of: mixing said hydrocarbon fuel with water, forming a fuel/water mixture; introducing said fuel/water mixture into a heat exchange zone of a fuel processor, said heat exchange zone comprising at least one steam vaporizing coil, said at least one steam vaporizing coil heated with products of combustion from a combustor disposed within said fuel processor, forming a preheated mixture comprising steam; introducing said preheated mixture into an input end of a reformer section disposed within said fuel processor, said reformer section comprising a cylindrical housing having said input end and an output end, said input end disposed proximate a middle region of said fuel processor and said output end disposed proximate a bottom region of said fuel processor, and said reformer section heated by said combustor, said combustor comprising a combustion catalyst bed disposed around an exterior surface of said reformer section and filling at least a portion of an annular space disposed between said exterior surface and a cylindrical flue gas shaft disposed at a central axis of said fuel processor, thereby forming a reformer section effluent comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and steam; passing said reformer section effluent into a shift/methanator reactor vessel, said shift/methanator reactor vessel comprising an annular cylindrical structure having a shift/methanator reactor inlet end in fluid communication with said output end of said reformer section and a shift/methanation reactor outlet end, said annular cylindrical structure forming an inner annular region between said annular cylindrical structure and said combustor and an outer annular region between said annular cylindrical structure and a fuel processor housing enclosing said combustor, said reformer section, said heat exchange zone and said shift/methanation reactor vessel, and said annular structure filled with a shift catalyst proximate said shift/methanator reactor inlet end and a methanation catalyst proximate said shift/methanator outlet end, forming a hydrogen-rich product gas.