Patent ID: 8586003

Claim:
Method of producing hydrogen from methanol in supercritical water comprising providing a feed mixture of methanol and water, delivering the feed mixture to a reactor chamber ( 5 ) equipped with an internal heat exchanger, wherein said feed mixture is heated by heat exchange with an outgoing reformed mixture from the reactor chamber, and wherein said outgoing reformed mixture is simultaneously cooled by said feed mixture, raising the temperature in the upper part of the reactor chamber ( 5 ) for further heating and reforming said mixture, delivering the reformed mixture to a cooling system ( 6 ) for further cooling said reformed mixture below ambient temperature, delivering the cooled mixture to a first phase separation vessel ( 7 ) for separating hydrogen from said cooled mixture, delivering the remaining liquid mixture to a second phase separation vessel ( 8 ) for separating CO 2 from said remaining liquid mixture, wherein the first phase separation vessel has a higher pressure than the second phase separation vessel, and recirculating the excess water from the depressurized mixture to a water tank ( 9 ) for supplying water for producing the said mixture of methanol and water.