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An ion transport membrane system comprising (a) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet; (b) a plurality of planar ion transport membrane modules disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel and arranged in series, each membrane module comprising mixed metal oxi

An ion transport membrane system comprising (a) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet; (b) a plurality of planar ion transport membrane modules disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel and arranged in series, each membrane module comprising mixed metal oxide ceramic material and having an interior region and an exterior region, wherein any inlet and any outlet of the pressure vessel are in flow communication with exterior regions of the membrane modules; and (c) one or more gas manifolds in flow communication with interior regions of the membrane modules and with the exterior of the pressure vessel. The ion transport membrane system may be utilized in a gas separation device to recover oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas or as an oxidation reactor to oxidize compounds in a feed gas stream by oxygen permeated through the mixed metal oxide ceramic material of the membrane modules.

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1. An ion transport membrane system comprising (a) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet;(b) a membrane stack or module assembly disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel, the assembly having a plurality of planar wafers comprising mixed metal oxide ceramic

1. An ion transport membrane system comprising (a) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet;(b) a membrane stack or module assembly disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel, the assembly having a plurality of planar wafers comprising mixed metal oxide ceramic material, each wafer having an interior region and an exterior region, and a plurality of hollow ceramic spacers, wherein the stack or module assembly is formed by alternating wafers and spacers such that the interiors of the wafers are in flow communication via the hollow spacers, the wafers are oriented parallel to one another, and the alternating spacers and wafers are oriented coaxially to form the stack or module such that the wafers are perpendicular to the stack or module axis;(c) a gas manifold shroud assembly disposed around the membrane stack or module assembly within the interior of the pressure vessel, wherein the shroud assembly separates the stack or module into at least a first wafer zone and a second wafer zone, places any inlet of the pressure vessel in flow communication with exterior regions of the wafers in the first wafer zone, and places exterior regions of the wafers in the first wafer zone in series flow communication with exterior regions of the wafers of the second wafer zone. 2. The ion transport membrane system of claim 1 which further comprises a plurality of additional wafer zones formed by the gas manifold shroud assembly, wherein the shroud assembly places the additional wafer zones in series flow communication with one another, and wherein one of the additional wafer zones is in flow communication with any outlet of the pressure vessel. 3. An oxidation process comprising (a) providing an ion transport membrane reactor system comprising (1) a pressure vessel having an interior, an exterior, an inlet, and an outlet;(2) a plurality of planar ion transport membrane modules disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel and arranged in series, each membrane module comprising mixed metal oxide ceramic material and having an interior region and an exterior region, wherein any inlet and any outlet of the pressure vessel are in flow communication with exterior regions of the membrane modules; and(3) one or more gas manifolds in flow communication with interior regions of the membrane modules and with the exterior of the pressure vessel;(b) providing a heated, pressurized reactant feed gas stream, introducing the reactant feed gas stream via any pressure vessel inlet to the exterior regions of the membrane modules;(c) providing an oxygen-containing oxidant gas to the interior regions of the membrane modules, permeating oxygen ions through the mixed metal oxide ceramic material, reacting oxygen with components in the reactant feed gas stream in the exterior regions of the membrane modules to form oxidation products therein, and withdrawing the oxidation products from the exterior regions of the membrane modules through any outlet to the exterior of the pressure vessel to provide an oxidation product stream; and(d) withdrawing oxygen-depleted oxygen-containing gas from the interior regions of the membrane modules via the one or more manifolds to the exterior of the pressure vessel. 4. The process of claim 3 wherein the pressure of the pressurized reactant feed gas stream is greater than the pressure of the oxygen-containing oxidant gas. 5. The process of claim 3 wherein the ion transport membrane reactor system further comprises a flow containment duct that has an interior and an exterior and is disposed in the interior of the pressure vessel, and wherein the flow containment duct surrounds the plurality of planar ion transport membrane modules and is in flow communication with the inlet and the outlet of the pressure vessel such that the pressurized reactant feed gas stream passes through the interior of the flow containment duct. 6. The process of claim 5 wherein the pressure differential between the interior and the exterior of the flow containment duct at any point between the inlet and outlet of the pressure vessel is maintained at a value equal to or greater than zero, and wherein the pressure in the interior of the duct is equal to or greater than the pressure in the pressure vessel exterior to the duct. 7. The process of claim 3 wherein the pressurized reactant feed gas stream comprises one or more hydrocarbons having one or more carbon atoms. 8. The process of claim 7 wherein the pressurized reactant feed gas stream comprises methane. 9. The process of claim 8 wherein the oxidation product stream comprises hydrogen and carbon oxides.