Patent ID: 8551198

Claim:
A catalytic secondary reforming process, for the production of synthesis gas, the process comprising the successive steps of: feeding a first gas flow comprising hydrocarbons and a second gas flow comprising oxygen into a reforming reactor, said gas flows both being fed in an initial portion of said reactor in a predetermined feed direction substantially coaxial to a longitudinal axis of said reactor, said second gas flow coaxial to and within the first gas flow, wherein said first gas flow comprising hydrocarbons and said second gas flow comprising oxygen are kept separate and coaxial from one another for said initial portion of said reactor and flow along said predetermined feed direction in said initial portion of said reactor; imparting a rotating swirling motion about said predetermined feed direction in said initial portion of said reactor to at least the inner of said first and second gas flows; and said gas flow comprising hydrocarbons or to said gas flow comprising oxygen or separately to both said gas flow comprising hydrocarbons and said gas flow comprising oxygen; and mixing said gas flows in said reactor downstream of said initial portion of said reactor, said hydrocarbons of said first gas flow being substantially simultaneously oxidized by the oxygen of said second gas flow during the mixing of the gas flows.