An experimental study of the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane in a catalytic membrane reactor has been carried out. The work presented explores the influence of the type of feed arrangement and of the type of catalytic membrane on the yield to the partial oxidation product (propene). The experimental setting allowed the reaction to take place with a segregated feed, in the simultaneous presence of a bi-directional diffusive Aux and a low-intensity unidirectional convective flow. Special attention has been devoted to studying the influence of the back permeation of the reactant hydrocarbon, and of procedures capable of preventing it. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.