Gas generator and processes for the conversion of a fuel into an oxygen-depleted gas and/or hydrogen-enriched gas

A process for the conversion of a fuel into an oxygen-depleted gas and/or a hydrogen-enriched gas, the process comprising the steps of:

• catalytically combusting a fuel in a primary catalytic burner with an oxygen-containing gas to produce a flue gas comprising oxygen;
• followed by combusting or partially oxidising the flue gas comprising oxygen with excess fuel in a secondary catalytic burner to produce a gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide, or a gas comprising traces of oxygen;
• and
• either:
• reducing the trace amounts of oxygen from the gas comprising traces of oxygen and obtaining an oxygen-depleted gas, or
• reducing the amount of carbon monoxide present in the gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide by catalytic conversion to carbon dioxide or methane to obtain a hydrogen-enriched gas;
• and wherein the primary and secondary catalytic burners are heated up to operation temperature by thermally igniting a fuel with an oxygen-containing gas under flame reactions.