Abstract: Process for the preparation hydrogen and a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide containing gas from a carbonaceous feedstock by performing the following steps: (a) preparing a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide having a temperature of above 700° C. (51); (b) catalytic steam reforming a carbonaceous feedstock in a Convective Steam Reformer zone (44), wherein the required heat for the steam reforming reaction is provided by convective heat exchange between the steam reformer reactor zone and the effluent of step (a) to obtain as separate products a steam reforming product having a hydrogen to CO molar ratio of greater than 2 and a cooled effluent of step (a), and (c) separating hydrogen from the steam reforming product.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide containing gas from a carbonaceous feedstock involving: (a) partially oxidizing a feedstock in a tubular partial oxidation reactor vessel to obtain a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide; (b) catalytically steam reforming a feedstock in a convective steam reformer which is a tubular reactor with one or more tubes containing a reforming catalyst, wherein the steam to carbon molar ratio of the feed to step (b) is below 1; (c) feeding the steam reformer product to the upper end of the partial oxidation reactor to obtain a mixture of the effluent of step (a) and the steam reformer product; and (d) providing heat for step (b) by convective heat exchange between the mixture obtained in step (c) and the steam reformer reactor tubes to obtain a hydrogen and carbon monoxide containing gas having a reduced temperature.

Abstract: A reactor vessel for performing a steam reforming reaction having a vessel inlet for natural gas and steam; a vessel inlet for a hot gaseous medium; a vessel outlet for the steam reforming product; and a reactor space which is a bed of steam reforming catalyst, which reactor space inlet is fluidly connected to the inlet for natural gas and steam and at its outlet end fluidly connected with the outlet for the gaseous product; wherein inside the catalyst bed a passageway is provided fluidly connected to the vessel inlet for the hot gaseous medium for passage of hot gaseous mixture counter currently to the flow of reactants in the catalyst bed.