Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A process for co-producing synthesis gas and power, the process including in a synthesis gas generation stage, producing a synthesis gas comprising at least CO and H2 by reacting a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock with oxygen, the synthesis gas being at a first temperature;in an air separation stage, separating air from a compressed air stream by means of at least one ion transport membrane unit thereby producing a permeate stream consisting predominantly of oxygen and a reject stream of oxygen-depleted air at a second temperature which is lower than the first temperature;indirectly heating the reject stream of oxygen-depleted air with the synthesis gas and at least partially expanding said heated reject stream of oxygen-depleted air through at least one turbine to generate power, producing an at least partially expanded reject stream of oxygen-depleted air;recompressing the permeate stream consisting predominantly of oxygen to a pressure suitable for use in the synthesis gas generation stage;feeding at least a portion of the recompressed permeate stream consisting predominantly of oxygen to the synthesis gas generation stage to provide oxygen for production of synthesis gas; andproducing carbon based chemicals from the synthesis gas produced by the synthesis gas generation stage. 2. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the synthesis gas produced in the synthesis gas generation stage is at a temperature of at least 900° C., and the reject stream of oxygen-depleted air is available at a temperature of at least 600° C., but less than the temperature of the synthesis gas produced in the synthesis gas generation stage. 3. The process as claimed in claim 1, which includes heating the compressed air stream to a temperature of at least 700° C. prior to separation of the compressed air stream in the air separation stage, the compressed air stream being heated at least by transferring heat from a nuclear reaction stage. 4. The process as claimed in claim 1, which includes reheating the reject stream of oxygen-depleted air at least once, after partial expansion of the reject stream of oxygen-depleted air through said at least one turbine, and further expanding the reheated reject stream of oxygen-depleted air through at least one further turbine, in order to increase the efficiency of power generation. 5. The process as claimed in claim 1, which includes cooling said at least partially expanded reject stream of oxygen-depleted air, after it has been used for power generation, in heat transfer relationship with the compressed air stream. 6. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the heated reject stream of oxygen-depleted air is heated to a temperature of at least 900° C. by indirect heating with the synthesis gas. 7. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the air is compressed in one or more air compressors sized to compress air in addition to what is required to produce the permeate stream consisting predominantly of oxygen in the air separation stage for synthesis gas generation purposes, the additional compressed air bypassing the ion transport membrane unit and being heated before being used to produce additional power. 8. The process as claimed in claim 7, in which the additional compressed air receives heat from the synthesis gas. 9. The process as claimed in claim 7, in which fuel gas is burned with the additional compressed air producing combusted gas, with the combusted gas being expanded to produce power. 10. The process as claimed in claim 9, in which the additional compressed air is first mixed with the reject stream of oxygen-depleted air and fuel before the mixture is combusted to produce combusted gas, with the combusted gas then being expanded through a gas expansion turbine to generate power. 11. The process as claimed in claim 1, which includes in a hydrocarbon synthesis stage, producing hydrocarbons from the synthesis gas produced by the synthesis gas generation stage. 12. The process as claimed in claim 7, which includes heating the compressed air stream to a temperature of at least 700° C. prior to separation of the compressed air stream in the air separation stage and in which the compressed air stream is heated at least by transferring heat from a nuclear reaction stage, and in which the additional compressed air receives heat from the nuclear reaction stage.