Patent ID: 7976621

Claim:
A power plant comprising: a combustion apparatus producing an exhaust gas; an absorber receiving the exhaust gas, the absorber comprising a desiccant and producing a first stream of desiccant solution containing water and a first concentration of desiccant; and a crystallizing heat exchanger for dehydrating the first stream of desiccant solution while maintaining the water in a liquid phase, the heat exchanger configured with an outside heat sink or cooling source that cools desiccant solution passing there through sufficiently to cause at least a portion of the desiccant in the desiccant solution to crystallize, the heat exchanger producing from the first stream of desiccant solution a second stream of desiccant solution comprising desiccant crystals and a second concentration of desiccant greater than the first concentration of desiccant; and a separator receiving the second stream of desiccant solution and separating a quantity of the desiccant crystals from the second stream of desiccant solution, the separator producing a desiccant slurry containing the second concentration of desiccant.