Patent ID: 7914764

Claim:
A method for producing high pressure hydrogen comprising: (a) passing a feed stream under high pressure conditions and comprising a hydrocarbon and steam through a first zone containing packing materials and a steam reforming catalyst at an elevated temperature to produce a high pressure synthesis gas stream; (b) passing at least a portion of the synthesis gas stream of step (a) through the first end of a second zone containing bed packing materials at a temperature lower than the first zone thereby transferring sensible heat from the product to the packing material in the second zone and providing a high pressure synthesis gas at a temperature approaching that of the packing material at the second end; said steps (a) and (b) being conducted at a space velocity C 1 GHSV of at least 1000 hr −1 , and a heat transfer parameter ΔT HT between about 0.1° C. and 500° C., and at conditions sufficient to provide a regeneratively cooled synthesis gas at said second end of said second zone in the range of about 220° C. to about 400° C.; (c) removing substantially all of the high pressure synthesis gas from the second zone and introducing said gas into a high temperature water-gas shift reaction zone to provide a gas stream enriched in hydrogen; (d) passing the hydrogen enriched gas stream through a hydrogen separation zone to separate high pressure hydrogen; (e) removing high pressure hydrogen from the separation zone; (f) introducing a mixture of a fuel and an oxygen containing gas, at a pressure lower than in step (a) into the second end of the second zone for combustion and passage through said second and first zone thereby heating the first zone to reforming temperatures and creating a regeneratively cooled flue gas which exits through the first end of the first zone.