Patent ID: 8771637

Claim:
A gas separation process for production of hydrogen by autothermal reforming of natural gas, wherein the process comprises the following steps: (a) introducing natural gas, steam, and oxygen into an autothermal reformer, to produce a gas mixture comprising carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, water vapor, and residual natural gas; (b) cooling the gas mixture to condense out water; (c) treating the resultant gas mixture to remove hydrogen, to produce a hydrogen product stream and a hydrogen-depleted gas mixture; (d) providing a membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, wherein the membrane is selective to carbon dioxide over hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane; (e) passing the hydrogen-depleted gas mixture across the feed side; (f) withdrawing from the permeate side a permeate stream that is enriched in carbon dioxide relative to the hydrogen-depleted gas mixture; (g) withdrawing from the feed side a residue stream that is depleted in carbon dioxide relative to the hydrogen-depleted gas mixture; and (h) passing the residue stream as a recycle stream back to the autothermal reformer as feedstock.