Patent ID: 8282907

Claim:
A process for generating hydrogen from a fuel to provide a hydrogen product comprising: a. admixing an oxygen and steam-containing stream with a fuel and steam-containing stream to provide a reformer feed comprising oxygen, the fuel and steam with a molar ratio of the oxygen, the steam and the fuel in the reformer feed selected to provide partial oxidation/steam reforming conditions, b. reforming the reformer feed under the partial oxidation/steam reforming conditions to provide a reformate comprising hydrogen; c. subjecting the reformate to indirect heat exchange with water to provide a cooler reformate and steam; d. recovering the hydrogen product and a reject stream from the cooler reformate; e. combusting the reject stream to provide a flue gas; and f. subjecting at least a portion of the flue gas to indirect heat exchange with a process stream, wherein: i. the steam from step (c) is combined with the fuel and steam-containing stream prior to step (a), said steam from step (c) providing at least 40 percent of the steam in the reformer feed, ii. the process stream for step (f) comprises at least a portion of the oxygen and steam-containing stream, and iii. in response to a change in a rate of production or a purity of the hydrogen product, a ratio of steam in the oxygen and steam-containing stream to steam in the fuel and steam-containing stream is changed to increase a Net Hydrogen Efficiency of the process.