TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Process: The coolant fluid flows through the coolant channel in a cross current, counter current or cocurrent direction relative to the direction of flow of the reactants and product through the process channel. A clean up process is effected within and outside the process channel to remove CO from the product.The reactants and/or product are contacted with the catalyst for 10-1000 (preferably up to 100) milliseconds. The temperature in the first zone is 200-400degreesC, and the temperature in the second zone is 150-300degreesC. The reactants are at pressure of upto 500 psig at the entrance to the process channel. The coolant fluid is at -200 to 400degreesC as it enters the coolant channel. The pressure drop of the reactants and/or product through the process channel is upto 40 psi per foot of length of the process channel. The process produces hydrogen at a rate of at least 10 (preferably at least 100) standard liters per minute per liter of volume of the single stage process channels in the reactor. The total pressure drop for the coolant flowing through the coolant channels is up -10 (preferably up to 1) psi.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Catalyst: The catalyst comprises a noble metal and/or a transition metal and/or an oxide of an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, boron, gallium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, thallium, lead, bismuth, polonium, magnesium, titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), zinc, zirconium, molybdenum (Mo), tin, calcium, aluminum, silicon, or lanthanum series element.The catalyst comprises a zirconia supported alkali metal modified ruthenium catalyst. The catalyst comprises cupric oxide, zinc oxide or aluminum oxide. The catalyst comprises a support selected from alumina, silica, titania or zirconia, or a support that is impregnated with a reducible metal oxide. The catalyst comprises platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), Cu, Fe, rhodium (Rh), gold (Au), rhenium (Re) or their oxides. The catalyst comprises a transition metal carbide, nitride or boride, or an oxygen containing analog of any of the above. The reducible metal oxide comprises an oxide of Cr, V, Mo, neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), Ti, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and/or cerium (Ce).The catalyst is in the form of particulate solids having a median particle diameter of 60-1000 microns. The catalyst comprises a porous support, an interfacial layer and a catalytic material. The catalyst includes a buffer layer. The catalyst is in the form of foam, felt, wad, honeycomb, and/or insertable fin. The catalyst is in the form of a flow-by structure with an adjacent gap, a foam with an adjacent gap, a fin structure with gaps, a washcoat on an inserted substrate, or a gauze that is parallel to the flow direction with a corresponding gap for flow. The catalyst is wash-coated on the interior wall of the process channel. A first water-gas shift reaction catalyst is present in the first reaction zone, and a second water-gas shift reaction catalyst is present in the second reaction zone.Preferred Components: The coolant fluid comprises air, steam, liquid water, carbon dioxide, gaseous nitrogen, or liquid nitrogen.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Components: The process channel and the coolant channel are microchannels. The single stage process chemicals are operated in parallel. The coolant channels are operated in parallel. The H2 in the product is purified using a preferential oxidation reactor, membrane separation of hydrogen or carbon monoxide, sorption based separation system for hydrogen or carbon monoxide, or a methanation reactor.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The product comprises 0.1-30 mol% CO2, 0.1-90 mol.% H2, 0.01-5 mol% CO, 40-99 mol% H2O and upto 10 mol% CH4. The product comprises upto 99.9 mol% H2 and upto 50 mol% CO2.The reactants comprise upto 50 mol% CO and upto 99.9 mol% H2O. The reactants comprise 1-20 mol% CO, 1-70 mol% H2O, 1-20 mol% CO2 and 1-75 mol% H2.Preferred Components: The coolant fluid comprises gaseous hydrocarbon or an oil.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Catalyst: The catalyst comprises a noble metal and/or a transition metal and/or an oxide of an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, boron, gallium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, thallium, lead, bismuth, polonium, magnesium, titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), zinc, zirconium, molybdenum (Mo), tin, calcium, aluminum, silicon, or lanthanum series element.The catalyst comprises a zirconia supported alkali metal modified ruthenium catalyst. The catalyst comprises cupric oxide, zinc oxide or aluminum oxide. The catalyst comprises a support selected from alumina, silica, titania or zirconia, or a support that is impregnated with a reducible metal oxide. The catalyst comprises platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), Cu, Fe, rhodium (Rh), gold (Au), rhenium (Re) or their oxides. The catalyst comprises a transition metal carbide, nitride or boride, or an oxygen containing analog of any of the above. The reducible metal oxide comprises an oxide of Cr, V, Mo, neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), Ti, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and/or cerium (Ce).The catalyst is in the form of particulate solids having a median particle diameter of 60-1000 microns. The catalyst comprises a porous support, an interfacial layer and a catalytic material. The catalyst includes a buffer layer. The catalyst is in the form of foam, felt, wad, honeycomb, and/or insertable fin. The catalyst is in the form of a flow-by structure with an adjacent gap, a foam with an adjacent gap, a fin structure with gaps, a washcoat on an inserted substrate, or a gauze that is parallel to the flow direction with a corresponding gap for flow. The catalyst is wash-coated on the interior wall of the process channel. A first water-gas shift reaction catalyst is present in the first reaction zone, and a second water-gas shift reaction catalyst is present in the second reaction zone.Preferred Components: The coolant fluid comprises air, steam, liquid water, carbon dioxide, gaseous nitrogen, or liquid nitrogen.