Patent ID: 7829602

Claim:
A process, comprising: (A) flowing an SMR feed in an SMR microchannel reactor in contact with one or more SMR catalysts to form a first intermediate product, the SMR feed comprising methane and steam, the first intermediate product comprising CO and H 2 ; the SMR microchannel reactor comprising a plurality of SMR process microchannels and a plurality of combustion channels; the SMR process microchannels containing the one or more SMR catalysts, the methane and steam contacting the one or more SMR catalysts in the process microchannels; separating part of the H 2 from the first intermediate product to form a second intermediate product, the second intermediate product comprising CO and H 2 ; the combustion channels containing one or more combustion catalysts, the separated H 2 being combined with oxygen or a source of oxygen to form a combustion reaction mixture; the combustion reaction mixture contacting the one or more combustion catalysts, undergoing a combustion reaction, and generating heat and a combustion exhaust; transferring heat from the combustion channels to the SMR process microchannels; and (B) flowing the second intermediate product in a Fischer-Tropsch microchannel reactor in contact with one or more Fischer-Tropsch catalysts to form a Fischer-Tropsch product comprising one or more higher molecular weight hydrocarbons; the Fischer-Tropsch microchannel reactor comprising a plurality of Fischer-Tropsch process microchannels and a plurality of heat exchange channels; the Fischer-Tropsch process microchannels containing the one or more Fischer-Tropsch catalysts, the second intermediate product contacting the one or more Fischer-Tropsch catalysts in the Fischer-Tropsch process microchannels; transferring heat from the Fischer-Tropsch process microchannels to a heat exchange fluid in the heat exchange channels.