TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The master controller simultaneously transmits master control signals to the five subordinate controllers, the master control signals transmitted to the first the subordinate controller is indicative of the determined first the subordinate setpoint, the master control signals transmitted to the second the subordinate controller is indicative of the determined second the subordinate setpoint, the master control signals transmitted to the third subordinate controller is indicative of the determined third subordinate setpoint, the master control signals transmitted to the fourth subordinate controller is indicative of the determined fourth subordinate setpoint, and the master control signals transmitted to the fifth subordinate controller is indicative of the determined fifth subordinate setpoint. The subordinate controllers separately and simultaneously transmit subordinate control signals in accordance with the master control signals, the subordinate control signals transmitted by the first subordinate controller is indicative of the determined first subordinate setpoint, the subordinate control signals transmitted by the second subordinate controller is indicative of the determined second the subordinate setpoint, the subordinate control signals transmitted by the third subordinate controller is indicative of the determined third subordinate setpoint, the subordinate control signals transmitted by the fourth subordinate controller is indicative of the determined fourth subordinate setpoint, and the subordinate control signals transmitted by the fifth subordinate controller is indicative of the determined fifth subordinate setpoint. The method further comprises: cooling and compressing the permeate hydrogen stream for forming a delivery hydrogen stream; maintaining a constant pressure of the delivery hydrogen stream on the ongoing basis at a delivery pressure setpoint, where the step of maintaining at the delivery pressure setpoint includes receiving signals indicative of the pressure of the permeate hydrogen stream and transmitting control signals to adjust the pressure of the delivery hydrogen stream in accordance with the delivery pressure setpoint; creating a lookup table of the control data including recording optimal steady state operating data points representing the five subordinate setpoints, where the optimal steady state operating data points is recorded with respect to each of the optimal output levels ranging between the zero output and the maximum output; and interpolating the recorded data to obtain additional optimal steady state operating data points representing the five subordinate setpoints, where the additional optimal steady state operating data points are obtained with respect to additional optimal output level ranging between the zero output and the maximum output. The delivery pressure setpoint is higher than the permeate pressure setpoint. The lookup table is informative with respect to the relationship among the five subordinate setpoints and optimal output level of the permeate hydrogen stream. The energy is produced by an energy recovery device that includes a turbine haft, a turbine expander, a main compressor and the generator. The shaft rotation is the rotation of the turbine shaft. The rotation of the turbine shaft drives the generator to produce electricity. The rotation of the turbine shaft drives the main compressor to produce compressed air. An autothermal reformer reactor is configured to receive the oxygen-containing gas, hydrocarbon and steam to produce the first mixture containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. A water-gas shift reactor is configured to receive steam, to receive carbon monoxide produced by the autothermal reformer, and to produce the second mixture containing hydrogen and carbon dioxide. A hydrogen membrane separator is configured to receive hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the water-gas shift reactor and to separate hydrogen to produce the permeate hydrogen stream. The energy recovery device is configured to receive non-hydrogen gases from the hydrogen membrane separator and to produce energy for the reformer system, where the energy recovery device further includes the rotatable shaft. The master computer and five subordinate computers are configured to continually maintain constancy of the permeate hydrogen stream at the permeate pressure setpoint. The first subordinate setpoint is controlled by a first subordinate computer, and represents a mass flow rate of the oxygen-containing gas received by the autothermal reformer reactor. The second subordinate setpoint is controlled by a second subordinate computer, and represents a mass flow rate of the hydrocarbon received by the autothermal reformer reactor. The third subordinate setpoint is controlled by a third subordinate computer, and represents a mass flow rate of the steam received by the autothermal reformer reactor. The fourth subordinate setpoint is controlled by a fourth subordinate computer, and represents a mass flow rate of the steam received by the water-gas shift reactor. The fifth subordinate setpoint is controlled by a fifth subordinate computer, and represents the speed of the rotatable shaft. The step of maintaining constancy of the includes, repeatedly performing, inputting, from the pressure sensor to the master computer, sensory signals indicative of the pressure of the permeate hydrogen stream, processing, using the master computer, the sensory input in relation to the control data resident in a memory of the master computer, where: the control data further includes output levels, on a scale from zero output to maximum output, of the permeate hydrogen stream, and five subordinate setpoints; each output level has a group of the five subordinate setpoints; and the processing step includes correlating the sensory input to the output levels in the control data so as to select the output level in the control data that results in reinstating the pressure of the permeate hydrogen stream at the permeate pressure setpoint. The selected output level in the control data has a selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, and contemporaneously outputting, from the master computer to the five subordinate computers, master control signals indicative of the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints. The first subordinate computer is instructed by the master computer to establish the first subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, the second subordinate computer is instructed by the master computer to establish the second subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, the third subordinate computer is instructed by the master computer to establish the third subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, the fourth subordinate computer is instructed by the master computer to establish the fourth subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, and the fifth subordinate computer is instructed by the master computer to establish the fifth subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints. An apparatus produces a delivery hydrogen stream for cooling and compressing the permeate hydrogen stream. The master computer is configured to receive signals indicative of the pressure of the delivery hydrogen stream and to transmit control signals to adjust the pressure of the delivery hydrogen stream in accordance with the delivery pressure setpoint. The speed of the rotatable shaft is the speed of the rotation of the rotatable shaft. The first subordinate computer outputs the first subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, the second subordinate computer outputs the second subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, the third subordinate computer outputs the third subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, the fourth subordinate computer outputs the fourth subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints, and the fifth subordinate computer outputs the fifth subordinate setpoint in the selected group of the five subordinate setpoints.