Patent ID: 7988948

Claim:
A method for generating hydrogen and/or synthesis gas in a production facility comprising: withdrawing a reformed gas mixture comprising H 2 , CO, CO 2 and H 2 O from a plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes of a reformer; forming a H 2 product gas stream, a CO 2 by-product stream, and a residual gas stream from the reformed gas mixture, wherein the residual gas stream has a mass flow rate, W T , and contains less than 10 mole % CO 2 and less than 65 mole % H 2 ; optionally introducing a first portion of the residual gas stream into a shift reactor, wherein the first portion of the residual gas stream has a mass flow rate, W 1 ; forming a reformer feed gas mixture stream from a feed steam stream, a second portion of the residual gas stream, and a reformer feedstock stream comprising a hydrocarbon, wherein the feed steam stream has a first steam mass flow rate, R 1 and wherein the second portion of the residual gas stream has a mass flow rate, W 2 ; introducing the reformer feed gas mixture stream into the plurality of catalyst-containing reformer tubes and reacting the hydrocarbon with the steam in a reforming reaction under reaction conditions effective to form the reformed gas mixture; introducing a fuel stream comprising combustible gases into a combustion section of the reformer, the fuel stream comprising a third portion of the residual gas stream and optionally a supplemental fuel stream, the third portion of the residual gas stream having a mass flow rate, W 3 ; introducing an oxidant stream containing oxygen into the combustion section of the reformer; combusting the combustible gases with the oxygen in the combustion section under conditions effective to combust the combustible gases to form a combustion product gas mixture and generate heat to supply energy for the reforming reaction; withdrawing the combustion product gas mixture from the combustion section of the reformer; and generating an intermediate gas stream comprising steam from a liquid water-containing stream via indirect heat exchange between the liquid water-containing stream and at least one of a stream formed from the reformed gas mixture and a stream formed from the combustion product gas mixture, the intermediate gas stream comprising steam having a pressure of 2 MPa to 12 MPa and having a second steam mass flow rate, R 2 , wherein 0.9 ≤ R 2 R 1 ≤ 1.2 ; and wherein 0 < W 1 + W 2 W T < 0.35 .