Abstract Hydrogen is the key element in the upgrading processes for heavy oils, synthetic fuels, oil shale, tar sands and unconventional raw materials for liquid fuels preparation. Producing hydrogen in bulk from various hydrocarbon feedstocks requires serious evaluation of alternate processing routes to determine the most favorable economic impact on the overall system. This paper discusses several commercially proven systems for large-scale hydrogen plants including partial oxidation of heavy feedstocks, steam reforming combined with several options such as wet system processing, Pressure Swing Adsorption, high and low temperature shift, and the influence of product purity. The comparisons will include process descriptions, operating cost factors and overall efficiency evaluations.