Oxygen separation method utilizing an oxygen transport membrane reactor

A method of separating oxygen from an oxygen containing gas stream, comprising:

• compressing the oxygen containing gas stream to form a compressed oxygen containing gas stream;
• heating said compressed oxygen containing gas stream;
• introducing said compressed oxygen containing gas stream after having been heated into a cathode side of an oxygen transport membrane reactor to permeate oxygen to an anode side and thereby to form an oxygen depleted retentate and permeated oxygen;
• introducing a motive fluid into an ejector to draw an oxygen permeate containing stream from said anode side of said oxygen transport membrane reactor at a subatmospheric pressure and thereby to form an oxygen containing product stream
• supporting combustion with residual oxygen contained within a retentate stream made up of the oxygen depleted retentate in a first stage of combustion, a second stage of combustion, and a third stage of combustion, sequentially positioned;
• the compressed oxygen containing gas stream being heated by a portion of the heat produced in the first stage of combustion;
• expanding a first combustion product stream with performance of work, the first combustion product stream being discharged from the second stage of combustion;
• applying the work of the expansion to the compression of the oxygen containing gas stream;
• introducing the first combustion product stream as an expansion exhaust stream into the third stage of combustion;
• discharging a second combustion product stream from the third stage of combustion;
• forming a steam stream by heating a make-up water stream with additional heat generated in the third stage of combustion;
• and
• introducing the steam stream into the ejector as the motive fluid.