TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalytically active metal is nickel, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, copper, chromium, zinc, neodymium, molybdenum, manganese, vanadium, niobium, technetium, cadmium, rhenium, osmium, iridium, mercury, tungsten, cobalt, palladium, silver or gold. The catalyst also contains a catalytically active oxide comprising chromium, zinc, neodymium, molybdenum, manganese, vanadium, niobium, technetium, cadmium, rhenium, osmium, iridium, mercury, tungsten, cobalt, palladium, silver or gold. The catalyst contains more than one catalyst promoters, catalytically active metal and one catalytically active oxide. The catalyst includes a coating on the internal surfaces of the reactor channel. The catalyst is a packed bed catalyst. The catalyst is an unsupported or supported catalyst. The catalyst support is an oxide comprising oxides of aluminum, magnesium, cerium, zirconium, lanthanum, silicon, neodymium, vanadium or titanium. The catalyst support contains more than one of the oxides.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The reactor comprises (a) a housing (30) including a bonded stack of plates featuring passageways which define heating stream channels (16a, 16b) and reaction channels (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d), (b) heat transfer walls (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) separating the heating stream channel and the reaction channel, (c) the heating stream channel adapted to receive a heating stream so that heat is provided to the reaction channel through the heat transfer wall and (d) a catalyst positioned in the reaction channel and the reaction channel adapted to receive a reaction stream including a mixture of supercritical water and a hydrocarbon fuel so that hydrogen is produced in the reaction channel. The heating stream channel contains a combustion catalyst so that combustion occurs in it when the heating stream is received. The heating stream channel includes an auxiliary electric heating arrangement. The reaction channel is perpendicular to the heating stream channel and the hydrogen channels (14a, 14b). The system further comprises a separator so that hydrogen is separated from the process stream. The separator includes a membrane which is supported on a porous plate. The membrane is palladium, vanadium and their alloys. The separator is a component separate from the reactor. The separator is achieved by a pressure swing adsorption process. The system further comprises a heat exchanger in circuit between the reactor and the separator, where the heat exchanger warms the product stream from the reactor before it enters the separator. The separator is incorporated within the reactor. The reactor further comprises a hydrogen channel positioned so that it is adjacent to the process channel and the separator is positioned between the reaction channel and hydrogen channel so that hydrogen from the product stream is passed through the separator into the hydrogen channel. The separator produces a non-hydrogen stream and further comprises a gas separator that receives the non-hydrogen stream so that a gas stream and a water stream are produced. The system further comprises a desulfurization device having an input adapted to receive the reaction stream and an outlet in communication with the reactor so that a desulfurized reaction stream is provided to the reactor.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The hydrocarbon fuel is a gas comprising natural gas, components of natural gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbon fuel is a liquid comprising gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, crude oil and other liquid fuels. The hydrocarbon fuel is a solid comprising coal and biomass.