TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - COMPUTING AND CONTROL - Preferred Fuel Processor: Heat exchangers are included in the gas stream path between the CPO catalyst and the nearest HT shift. The heat exchangers exchange heat between the mixture supplied to the CPO catalyst and to the mixture flowing through the HT shifts. The heat exchangers comprise a tubular inner wall enclosing a space in which the HT shifts with the box-shaped chambers are included. The heat exchangers are further provided with a tubular insulating outer wall. Each HT shift is provided with two opposite sides, which form an inlet and an outlet of the HT shift. The HT shifts are arranged with respect to each other in a direction coinciding with the normal of the HT shifts. An outlet of a first HT shift is located opposite an inlet of a second HT shift. The second HT shift is included in a box-shaped chamber having a bottom and upright side walls. The bottom is located between the inlet of the second HT shift and the outlet of the first HT shift. The gas stream path from the first HT shift to the second HT shift extends along an outer side of the bottom of the box-shaped chamber between the heat exchanger and an outer side of the upright side wall of the box-shaped chamber and between the second HT shift and an inner side of the upright side wall of the box-shaped chamber to a space located between the inner side of the bottom of the box-shaped chamber and the side of the second HT shift which comprises the inlet. Each HT shift is of tubular design with two opposite open ends which form the inlet and the outlet of the HT shift respectively. The axial axes of the HT shifts coincide with an axial axis of the tubular inner wall of the heat exchanger. Additionally a low temperature (LT) shift located downstream of the HT shift is included in the gas stream path. The fuel processor is further provided with an inlet for adding water to the mixture supplied to the LT shift for cooling the mixture. The processor also has an electric heating unit or a hydrogen burner, a natural gas burner or a heat exchanger for adding water via the inlet in the form of steam. The inlet comprises an atomizer for adding water in atomized condition. The LT shift comprises a tubular insulating outer wall and a tubular insulating inner wall arranged concentrically with respect to each other. The mixture flows through the space formed between the walls, the HT shifts and the CPO catalyst included in a space enclosed by the tubular inner wall. The outer wall of the heat exchanger coincides with the inner wall of the LT shift.The processor is further provided with a preferential oxidation catalyst (PrOx) located in the gas stream path and an inlet for adding oxygen to the mixture flowing to the PrOx. A heat exchanger is included in the gas stream path between the LT shifts and the PrOx to further cool the mixture.The processor additionally comprises a vessel, heat exchanger, fuel cell or an absorber. The vessel is filled with water and/or through which water flows and a heating element for regulating the temperature of water to adjust the concentration of the water vapor in the mixture supplied to the CPO catalyst. The vessel also contains the gaseous hydrocarbon compound and oxygen to be passed through and/or water to generate the mixture to be supplied to the CPO catalyst. The heat exchanger exchanges heat between the mixture which has flown through the PrOx and the water contained in the vessel so that the temperature of the mixture forming the gas stream comprising hydrogen falls. The fuel cell generates electric energy from the hydrogen formed or forms steam or atomized water. The absorber contains activated carbon to clean the gaseous hydrocarbon compound and an ionization vessel for cleaning water.Preferred Apparatus: The chamber comprises a cylindrical outer wall enclosing a cylindrical space. The ventilator is designed as a wheel having an axis of rotation coinciding with an axial axis of the chamber. The wheel on both sides is provided near its circumferential edge with blades. The first gas stream extends on the first side of the wheel and the second gas stream extends on the second side of the wheel. The inflow openings are provided in the cylindrical outer wall of the chamber in an axial direction in a staggered position. The inflow and the outflow openings are arranged perpendicular to the axial axis of the chamber. The chamber is provided with two opposite side walls perpendicular to the axial axis of the chamber. The walls comprise circular grooves extending around the axis and including the inflow and the outflow openings. The apparatus comprises:(i) the first gas stream consisting of a mixture of air and a gaseous hydrocarbon compound,(ii) the second gas stream consisting of air,(iii) the third gas stream consisting of a mixture of the first and the second gas streams, and(iv) the fourth gas stream consisting of a fraction of the second gas stream.The third gas stream is supplied to the gas stream path and the fourth gas stream is added to the mixture supplied to the PrOx. The rotational speed of the ventilator is modulated to equally modulate the third and the fourth gas streams.