Production enhancement for a reactor

A process for increasing the production of a product stream of a reactor configured such that a fuel stream and an oxygen containing gas stream are consumed in a combustion section of the reactor to generate heat and a reactant stream and steam stream are consumed in an endothermic reaction section supported by the heat to generate the product stream;

• introducing supplemental oxygen at least into the reaction section to partially oxidize the reactant stream, thereby to generate additional heat and to provide an increase in the production of product for the product stream;
• introducing the reactant stream an the steam stream into the reaction section at increased supply rates that are above those that would otherwise be used had the oxygen containing gas been supplied to the reactor alone, thereby to support the partial oxidation and a further increase in the production of the production for the product stream;
• and
• the increased supply rates at which the reactant and steam stream are supplied are selected relative to the amount of supplemental oxygen supplied such that a temperature rise anywhere within the reformer is not greater than about 200° C. over that which would be observed with the use of the oxygen containing gas alone.