Patent ID: 7160357

Claim:
An oxygen transport membrane reactor comprising: a reactor vessel having an elongated chamber and a feed inlet for introducing at least part of an oxygen containing feed into the chamber; a duct projecting into one end of the chamber such that the at least part of an incoming oxygen containing feed circulates along an outer surface of said duct and thereafter reverses direction and flows along the inside of the duct; an oxygen transport membrane projecting into the duct, from the other end of the chamber, to separate part of the oxygen in the oxygen containing feed and thereby to form an oxygen depleted retentate in the duct and an oxygen permeate inside the oxygen transport membrane; a fuel injector located within duct and downstream of the oxygen transport membrane for injecting fuel into the duct for combustion in the presence of a further part of the oxygen contained in the oxygen depleted retentate, thereby to heat the at least part of the oxygen containing feed by indirect heat exchange as it passes along the outer surface of the duct; a fuel injector inlet to the reactor vessel for introducing the fuel into the fuel injector; a combustion outlet of the reactor vessel for discharging combustion gases produced by the combustion; and a product outlet of the reactor vessel in communication with the inside of the oxygen transport membrane for discharging a product.