Methane steam reforming in microchannels

The flow of a reacting gas mixture in small channels is used in microchemical reactors to intensify the heat and mass transfer at chemical conversions. The advantages of small channels are the large specific surface of the reactor and small external diffusion resistance. This makes possible chemical conversions of gas mixtures at small residence times in the reaction zone and reactions under conditions of considerable thermodynamic nonequilibrium. Microchannel reactors are used, for instance, to convert hydrocarbons and alcohols into a synthesis gas and hydrogen and for a number of other energy-intense chemical processes...
http://energyofhydrogen.com/?p=51