Patent ID: 8632922

Claim:
A process of operating a molten carbonate fuel cell having an anode side and a cathode side, the process comprises: introducing into the anode side of the molten carbonate fuel cell a hydrogen-containing stream, comprising molecular hydrogen, yielded from a high temperature hydrogen-separation device for separating hydrogen from a gas stream having a temperature of at least 250° C., wherein the high temperature hydrogen-separation device comprises one or more high temperature hydrogen-separating membranes, and yielding an anode exhaust and a cathode exhaust from the molten carbonate fuel cell; mixing hydrocarbons with the anode exhaust to provide a mixture of anode exhaust and hydrocarbons; and at least partially reforming some of the hydrocarbons thereof in a first reformer to produce a steam reforming feed; and providing the steam reforming feed to a second reformer, wherein the second reformer is operatively coupled to the high temperature hydrogen-separation device such that the high temperature hydrogen-separation device is configured to produce the hydrogen-containing stream and a hydrogen-depleted stream comprising gaseous hydrocarbon and a carbon oxide.