Generating power using an ion transport membrane

1. A method, comprising:

discharging an air stream in connection with compressing air used during combustion in a gas turbine including a turbine compressor and an expander;

compressing the air stream to generate a pressurized stream;

indirectly heating the pressurized stream using heat from an oxygen stream from an Ion Transport Membrane (ITM) in a first heat exchanger;

receiving, from a first heat exchanger, at least a portion of heated pressurized air;

indirectly heating, using the first heat exchanger, the pressurized stream to an ITM inlet temperature using heat from a non-permeate stream from the ITM which has been further heated;

generating, using the ITM, the oxygen stream and the non-permeate stream, wherein the non-permeate stream is passed to a fuel gas burner and the oxygen stream is passed to the first heat exchanger;

combusting, using the fuel gas burner, a fuel gas in combination with the non-permeate stream and air from the turbine compressor to generate a heated non-permeate stream, wherein a temperature of the combination of the fuel gas and the non-permeate stream is below a predefined threshold temperature for the fuel gas burner, and a concentration of oxygen in the heated non-permeate stream is such that when mixed with the fuel gas results in an oxygen concentration below a lower flammable limit of the mixture;

heating, using a second heat exchanger, at least a portion of the pressurized stream using heat from the heated non-permeate stream, wherein the heated non-permeate stream is cooled during the indirect heating; and

introducing the cooled non-permeate stream in at least one of the fuel gas for the gas turbine or at a point between the gas turbine air compressor and the expander.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein between 30% and 70% of the heated pressurized stream is received from an air compressor which is separate from the gas turbine.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heated non-permeate stream has a temperature between about 700° C. and 950° C.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of oxygen of the cooled non-permeate stream is about below 2.5% or less molar concentration.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heated pressurized stream has a temperature range from about 800° C. to about 900° C.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heated pressurized stream has a pressure range from about 12 bars to 45 bars.