Hydrogen production

A process for the production of a hydrogen containing gas stream comprising:

• a) forming major and minor feed streams, each containing hydrocarbon to be reformed together with at least one gas selected from steam and carbon dioxide;
• b) forming a reformed major stream by passing the major feed stream over a steam reforming catalyst disposed in furnace reformer tubes heated by combustion of a fuel;
• c) passing the reformed major stream past the exterior of auxiliary reformer tubes, thereby supplying heat to said auxiliary reformer tubes and cooling the reformed major stream;
• d) forming a reformed minor stream by passing the minor feed stream over a steam reforming catalyst disposed in said auxiliary reformer tubes in a direction counter-current to the flow of the reformed major stream past the exterior of said auxiliary reformer tubes;
• and then
• e) mixing the reformed minor stream with the cooled reformed major stream.