Abstract Catalytic membrane reactors have the potential to render process of oxidative coupling methane economically viable. Here, results from operando XRD-CT studies three different catalytic reactors, employing BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.2O3-? (BCFZ) and La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-? (LSCF) perovskite membranes with Mn-Na-W/SiO2 La-promoted catalysts, are presented. It is shown that synchrotron X-ray tomogr...