Abstract: Hydrogen unit is usually used as a supporting unit to provide hydrogen for all kinds of hydrogenation units in refinery. With the development of hydrogenation process, the demand for hydrogen is increasing, and the technology of hydrogen production is developing rapidly. As the core equipment of hydrogen unit, hydrocarbon steam reformer undertakes the dual tasks of heating and reaction. The development of hydrogen technology is mainly reflected in the developing trend of various types steam reformers. This paper studies the technical features, reformer type characteristics, heat transfer effect, internal and external structure, and pipe system differences of various types of hydrocarbon steam reformers by comparative analysis. Combined with the current status of industrial furnace modularization, the paper forecasts the breakthrough direction and modularized engineering trend of steam reformer, so as to provide guidance for the research and development of hydrocarbon steam reformer technology.

Key words: hydrocarbon steam reforming, hydrogen manufacturing reformer, furnace type, modularization