(US4820314-A)      Catalytic reformer for fuel cell power plant comprises a burner co-axially disposed in a cylindrical housing and including a hot gas tube, and catalyst tubes provided with heat insulating covers and being arranged in circular arrays in the housing. One end of the tubes is open and those in one circular array extend beyond the ends of a second array. An optical temp. sensor is pref. focused on the tubes in the first array.    ADVANTAGE -   Increased catalyst heating .    (10pp)    (JP2575775-B2)      A catalytic reformer assembly for covnerting raw hydrocarbon fuel to a hydrogen-rich gaseous fuel, for use in a fuel cell power plant, comprises (a) a housing having a cylindrical side wall, a first dome-shaped wall, and a second wall opposite the first wall; (b) a burner in the housing positioned coaxially with the housing side wall, the burner opening through the housing second wall and including a hot gas tube which extends towards the first wall of the housing; (c) a number of catalyst tubes disposed in the housing, each with a first closed end and an opposite second end, and each provided with a ceramic heat-insulating cover having an annular free edge and overlying the top end of each catalyst tube, the covers extending a short distance toward the second ends of the catalyst tubes, the catalyst tubes being arranged in a number of circular arrays each of which is concentric with the burner, the arrays being disposed in tiers so that the first ends of all of the catalyst tubes in a first tier extend beyong the first ends of all the catalyst tubes in a second tier to the extend that a first imaginary horizontal plane containing the endmost point in each ceramic cover in the second tier is closer to the housing second wall than a second imaginary horizontal plane containing the annular free edges of each ceramic cover in the first tier; and (d) at least one optical temp. sensor mounted on the housing and focused onthe portions of the catalyst tubes in the first tier which lie between the imaginary planes to monitor the temp. of catalyst tubes in the first tier.    ADVANTAGE -   Improved fuel gas reformer having improved and more even catalyst heating capabilities and the temp. being capable of ore accurate monitoring.