Patent ID: 7442364

Claim:
A process for producing hydrogen from dissociating H 2 O and hydrocarbon fuels comprising: mixing, atomizing, and vaporizing H 2 O and hydrocarbon fuel; heating the vaporized H 2 O and hydrocarbon fuel mixture in a heat exchanger; passing the vaporized H 2 O and hydrocarbon fuel mixture to a plasma reformer, dissociating H 2 O and hydrocarbon fuel, and forming a reformate stream containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and trace hydrocarbons in a reaction chamber of the plasma reformer in an intense electron field between emitting electrodes and collecting electrodes at a temperature in the chamber of between 400° C. and 1900° C.; converting carbon monoxide in the reformate stream and added H 2 O to hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a water shift reactor; and cooling the reformate stream from the water shift reactor in the heat exchanger and heating the vaporized H 2 O and hydrocarbon fuel mixture entering the heat exchanger.