TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Components: The reformer arrangement may be fuel reformer for use with a fuel cell arrangement, where hydrogen-rich fluid mixture is processed by the fuel reformer and subsequently delivered to the fuel cell. The fluid inputs required by the mixture preparation portion include air, steam, and hydrocarbon-based fuel. The mixture preparation portion is arranged to receive at least two fluid inputs, and the distribution strategy enables a certain level of preheating of fluid inputs to the mixture preparation portion.The distribution strategy also enables a certain degree of preheating of additional fluid inputs to the reaction portion. The mixture preparation portion may be provided in the form of a mixing chamber which receives the fluid inputs and facilitates uniform mixing of fluids prior to delivery of resultant fluid mixture to the reaction portion. The mixing chamber is provided as a two-stage unit comprising a swirl chamber and a diffuser. Fuel is delivered to the swirl chamber by a fluid delivery injector. The reaction portion has steam reforming and partial oxidation capability.Steam reforming and partial oxidation are carried out by a single catalytic unit, e.g. autothermal reactor (16). The reaction portion includes a preferential oxidation unit to reduce any residual carbon monoxide in the resultant fluid mixture or gas stream to acceptable levels, or a two-stage catalytic water-gas shift reactor to minimize the level of carbon monoxide in the resultant fluid mixture. At least two heat exchangers are arranged with respect to at least two respective processing stages of the reaction portion. A first heat exchanger (30) is arranged between the autothermal reactor and a high-temperature stage of water-gas shift reactor, and a second heat exchanger (32) is arranged between the high-temperature stage and a low-temperature stage of water-gas shift reactor.A third heat exchanger (34) may be arranged downstream of the preferential oxidation unit and upstream of the fuel cell. An electrically heated catalyst is arranged downstream of the mixing chamber and upstream of the autothermal reactor. The electrically heated catalyst is operated upon cold starting of the reforming processThe predetermined distribution strategy includes heat extracted by the third heat exchanger being utilized to heat the water required as an input to the low-temperature stage of water-gas shift reactor; heat extracted by the second heat exchanger being utilized to heat the water required as an input to the high-temperature stage of water-gas shift reactor or to heat the steam required as an input to the mixing chamber; heat extracted at the low-temperature stage serving to further heat the water which initially preheated by and provided to the third heat exchanger; heat extracted at the second heat exchanger serving to further heat the steam mixture which is initially heated by and provided to the low-temperature stage of water-gas shift reactor; and heat extracted by the first heat exchanger being utilized to heat the air required as an input to the mixing chamber.