Process for recovering heat at high temperatures in plasma reforming systems

A thermal reformer with heat recovery for the conversion of one or more reactants into products, comprising:

• a first fixed-bed regenerator;
• a heat source fluidly connected to the first fixed-bed regenerator;
• a second fixed-bed regenerator fluidly connected to the heat source;
• a heat exchanger fluidly connected to the first fixed-bed regenerator and the second fixed-bed regenerator, the heat exchanger having a cold side and a hot side;
• and
• a valve system controlling a fluid flow direction through the first fixed-bed regenerator, the heat source, the second fixed-bed regenerator, the cold side of the heat exchanger, and the hot side of the heat exchanger, wherein the valve system comprises a first valve and a second valve;
• wherein the cold side of the heat exchanger is fluidly connectable to one of the first fixed-bed regenerator and the second fixed-bed regenerator, and the hot side of the heat exchanger is fluidly connectable to the other of the first fixed-bed regenerator and the second fixed-bed regenerator, and wherein the cold side and the hot side are reversible by switching the fluid flow direction using the first valve and the second valve;
• wherein the first valve and the second valve of the valve system are configured to periodically switch the fluid flow direction between,
• a first fluid flow direction wherein a fluid comprising said one or more reactants flows through the cold side of the heat exchanger to partly preheat the one or more reactants, then flows through the first fixed-bed regenerator to further preheat the one or more reactants using heat stored in the first fixed-bed regenerator, and then flows through said heat source to reform a portion of the one or more reactants into products, after which said products flow through said second fixed-bed regenerator to remove a portion of the heat from the products by absorbing the heat in the second fixed-bed regenerator, and then flow through the hot side of the heat exchanger to remove a further portion of the heat from the products, and
• a second fluid flow direction wherein a fluid comprising said one or more reactants flows through the cold side of the heat exchanger to partly preheat the one or more reactants, then flows through said second fixed-bed regenerator to further preheat the one or more reactants using heat stored in the second fixed-bed regenerator, and then flows through said heat source to reform a portion of the one or more reactants into products, after which said products flow through said first fixed-bed regenerator to remove a portion of the heat from the products by absorbing the heat in the first fixed-bed regenerator, and then flow through the hot side of the heat exchanger to remove a further portion of the heat from the products;
• wherein the heat source is configured to heat said one or more reactants to a temperature where the portion of the one or more reactants is reformed into products having a molecular composition different from that of the one or more reactants.