Patent ID: 7939051

Claim:
A method for starting up a hydrogen generation assembly that includes a startup assembly and a hydrogen-producing region and produces hydrogen gas via a steam reforming reaction, the method comprising: heating the startup assembly, which includes a vaporization region and a startup reforming region, to a suitable hydrogen-producing temperature during a startup period in which a temperature of the hydrogen-producing region is less than the hydrogen-producing temperature; delivering a liquid feed stream that contains water and a carbon-containing feedstock to the startup assembly; vaporizing the liquid feed stream in the startup assembly; chemically reacting at least a portion of the liquid feed stream in the startup assembly to produce a gas-phase stream that contains hydrogen gas and has a different composition than the liquid feed stream; withdrawing at least a portion of the gas-phase stream from the startup assembly as an output stream; delivering the output stream to the hydrogen-producing region, which includes a steam reforming catalyst, during the startup period; withdrawing a discharge stream from the hydrogen-producing region; wherein the discharge stream contains hydrogen gas and other gases; delivering the discharge stream to a separation assembly that is configured to separate the discharge stream into a hydrogen-rich stream, which contains a greater concentration of hydrogen gas than the discharge stream, and a byproduct stream, which contains a greater concentration of the other gases than the discharge stream; and combusting the byproduct stream to produce a heated exhaust stream for heating the startup assembly and the hydrogen-producing region.