Patent ID: 8518148

Claim:
A method for dehumidifying flue gas from a flue gas-generating process, comprising: providing a wet flue gas processor; supplying the flue gas from the flue gas generating process to the wet flue gas processor; providing a wet cooling tower connected to the wet flue gas processor; supplying water from the wet cooling tower to the wet flue gas processor to fluidically mix the water with the flue gas to condense water from the flue gas, whereby a liquid mixture is formed in the wet flue gas processor, the liquid mixture comprising the condensed water from the flue gas and the water from the wet cooling tower; and supplying the liquid mixture from the wet flue gas processor as make-up water to the wet cooling tower; and cooling the liquid mixture in the wet cooling tower; wherein the water from the wet cooling tower passes through the flue gas as the flue gas is being supplied to the wet flue gas processor, reducing the temperature of the flue gas to substantially the same temperature as the temperature of the water; wherein the water absorbs heat from the flue gas to achieve a desired saturation temperature, resulting in condensation of moisture from the flue gas; and wherein the temperature of the cool water delivered from the wet cooling tower is modified by diverting a portion of the warm liquid mixture coming from the wet flue gas processor and mixing it with the cool water delivered from the wet cooling tower to achieve a desired temperature of the water delivered from the wet cooling tower.