Hydrogen production by steam methane reforming

A process for producing hydrogen from a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons in a hydrogen plant, said hydrogen plant comprising a reforming reactor system with a pressure shell housing a first catalyst bed, said first catalyst bed comprising an electrically conductive material and a catalytically active material, said catalytically active material being arranged to catalyzing steam reforming of a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons, wherein said reforming reactor system is provided with heat insulation between said first catalyst bed and said pressure shell;

• said process comprising the following steps:
• pressurizing said feed gas to a pressure of between 5 and 200 bar,
• supplying said pressurized feed gas to the reforming reactor system,
• allowing said feed gas to undergo steam reforming reaction over the first catalyst bed and outletting a product gas from the reforming reactor system,
• heating said catalytically active material by supplying electrical power via electrical conductors connecting an electrical power supply placed outside said pressure shell to said electrically conductive material, allowing an electrical current to run through said electrically conductive material, thereby heating at least part of the first catalyst bed to a temperature of at least 500° C.,
• letting the product gas into a water gas shift unit downstream the reforming reactor system in order to generate a water gas shifted product gas,
• condensing water in the water gas shifted product gas and separating this water in a flash separation step, thereby providing a dry water gas shifted product gas, and
• removing at least CO2 from the dry water gas shifted product gas in a gas separation unit downstream the water gas shift unit.