Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrogen generation process for use with fuel cells which includes a preferential oxidation step to reduce the concentration of carbon monoxide. The preferential oxidation step includes contacting a fuel stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the presence of an oxygen at a preferential oxidation temperature of between about 70° and about 160° C. with preferential oxidation catalyst for reducing the concentration of carbon monoxide to produce a treated fuel gas stream comprising less than about 50 ppm-vol carbon monoxide. The preferential oxidation catalyst comprises ruthenium metal disposed on an alumina carrier having a low density and a high porosity. Superior performance at low preferential oxidation temperatures below 130° C. was observed when the alumina carrier contained a bimodal pore distribution with an average pore distribution of from about 20 to about 3000 angstroms.

Abstract: A process using selective hydrogenation and HF alkylation in combination that employs a multifunction alkylation stripper for removal of light ends from the selective hydrogenation and a alkylation operations. The process combines the effluent from the selective hydrogenation operation, an isobutane feed stream and a bottoms stream from the HF stripper in the alkylation feed stripper. The feed stripper provides a C.sub.4 -plus bottoms stream that serves as the feed to the alkylation zone and a C.sub.3 -minus overhead that can be recovered as fuel gas. Significant benefit is obtained from this process when processing a mixed olefin feed of C.sub.3 /C.sub.4 hydrocarbons and recovering a high purity C.sub.3 product stream ahead of the selective hydrogenation zone. Another variation of this process allows a C.sub.3 product stream to be withdrawn from the alkylation feed stripper either directly as a sidecut or downstream of an overhead condensor.