TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: A mixing volume is provided downstream of the catalytic zone, where hydrogen concentration at the outlet of the mixing volume is constant. Heat from the gas stream exiting the catalytic zone is transferred to the gas stream upstream of the catalytic zone through a heat exchanger (100). H2 produced on the reforming catalyst is separated from other components of the gas stream with a selective diffusion membrane (109). The diffusion membrane is coated with a catalyst active for the water gas shift reaction. H2 is introduced into a fuel cell.Preferred Component: The gas stream comprises water (H2O), which is consumed in an autothermal reforming reaction with the hydrocarbon fuel on the reforming catalyst.Preferred Parameter: The fraction of time in which the gas stream is converted to a lean mixture is 0.1-20%. H2O to carbon ratio is periodically increased by a factor of 2-10.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Component: The H2 and CO production system comprises a heat exchanger, where heat from the gas stream downstream from the catalytic zone is transferred to the gas stream upstream from the catalytic zone through the heat exchanger; a selective diffusion membrane, where H2 produced on the reforming catalyst is separated from other components of the gas stream through the selective diffusion membrane; a fuel cell, where H2 separated through the selective diffusion membrane is introduced into the fuel cell; and a reservoir comprising hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), where system is configured to introduce hydrocarbon fuel and H2O2 from the reservoirs upstream from the catalytic zone to form a rich mixture in the gas stream flowing from the inlet to the outlet.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Component: The reforming catalyst comprises nickel (Ni), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), and/or platinum (Pt). It is in thermal contact with a variable thermal conductance layer, which is in contact with a cooling medium (i.e. flowing gas stream), and where variable conductance layer exhibits an increase in thermal conductivity at a temperature close to the desired operating temperature of the reforming catalyst. It is coated on a finned structure; and the gas stream comprising hydrocarbon fuel flows over the finned structure, where heat conducted through the variable conductance layer passes into a finned structure that is exposed to the cooling medium. The selective diffusion membrane comprises Pd or Pd alloy. The oxidation catalyst comprises Pd, Pt, Rh, copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), Ni, iridium (Ir), and/or molybdenum (Mo). It comprises Pd and/or Pt.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The hydrocarbon fuel is gasoline, diesel fuel, JP8, JetA, or kerosene. EXAMPLE - A rhodium catalyst supported on a lanthanum cerium zirconium (La-Ce-Zr) mixed oxide containing 9 wt.% La and 29 wt.% Ce was prepared by drying RC-100CP(RTM: zirconia) (5 g) in air for 8 hours at 110degreesC. An aqueous solution of Ce and La nitrate hydrate, for preparation of a final catalyst with a composition of 29 wt.% cerium oxide (CeO2), 9 wt.% lanthanum oxide (La2O3) was then added to the zirconia and kneaded to form a dry powder. The impregnated powder was dried in air at 110degreesC for 6 hours and then calcined in air at 600degreesC for 4 hours. The resulting powder was ground lightly. A solution of rhodium trichloride in water was then added to form a wet powder, to make a final catalyst with a composition of rhodium (1 wt.%). The impregnated powder was dried in air at 110degreesC for 6 hours and then calcined in air at 700degreesC for 4 hours. The mixture was ball milled with water to form a colloidal sol of the catalyst in water. This sol was coated onto the inside surface of a titanium tube to form a coating with a density of 4.34 mg/cm2 and covering a length of 50.9 cm of the inside surface of the tube. The final coated tube contained 0.753 g of catalyst.