Conversion of hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and electrical power

A process for the conversion of a hydrocarbon to CO2 and electrical power comprising the steps of:

• (i) subjecting a gas mixture comprising a hydrocarbon feed stream and steam to steam reforming by passing the mixture over a catalyst disposed in externally-heated tubes in a gas-heated reformer to form a primary reformed gas,
• (ii) partially combusting the primary reformed gas with a first oxygen-containing gas, and bringing the resultant partially combusted gas towards equilibrium over a secondary reforming catalyst in an autothermal reformer to form a secondary reformed gas mixture comprising hydrogen, steam and carbon oxides,
• (iii) passing the secondary reformed gas mixture without intermediate cooling to the gas-heated reformer to heat the tubes therein and form a partially cooled reformed gas mixture,
• (iv) increasing the hydrogen content of the partially cooled reformed gas mixture by subjecting it to one or more water-gas-shift stages thereby producing a hydrogen enriched reformed gas,
• (v) cooling the hydrogen-enriched reformed gas to below a dew point of the steam therein to condense water and separating condensed water to give a de-watered hydrogen-enriched reformed gas,
• (vi) passing the de-watered hydrogen-enriched reformed gas to one or more stages of carbon dioxide separation to generate a carbon dioxide stream and a hydrogen-containing fuel stream, and
• (vii) combusting the hydrogen-containing fuel stream with a second oxygen-containing gas in a gas turbine to generate electrical power and an exhaust gas mixture and passing the exhaust gas mixture to a heat recovery steam generation system to provide steam for one or more steam turbines and generate additional electrical power.