Dehydration of gases and regeneration of desiccant

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE DEHYDRATION OF A MIXTURE OF GASES CONTAINING MOISTURE, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES: CONTACTING SAID GASES WITH A LIQUID DESICCANT; COOLING SAID CONTACTED GASES AND DESICCANT TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE CONDENSATION OF A PORTION OF SAID GASES; PASSING SAID COOLED MIXTURE TO A SEPARATION ZONE AND THEREIN SEPARATING SAME INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY DRY GAS PHASE, A CONDENSATE PHASE, AND A WET DESICCANT PHASE CONTAINING DISSOLVED HYDROCARBONS INCLUDING GASES AND HIGHER BOILING NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS CONTAINED IN SAID MIXTURE OF GASES; INDIRECTLY APPLYING SUFFICIENT HEAT TO SAID WET DESICCANT PHASE IN SAID SEPARATION ZONE TO CAUSE SEPARATION OF DISSOLVED HYDROCARBONS THEREFROM BUT INSUF-FICIENT TO CAUSE SEPARATION OF WATER VAPOR THEREFROM BY CIRCULATING A HEATED REGENERATED DESICCANT THROUGH SAID WET DESICCANT PHASE IN SAID SEPARATION ZONE; PASSING SAID HEATED WET DESICCANT PHASE TO A DESICCANT REGENERATION ZONE; IN SAID REGENERATION ZONE APPLYING SUFFICIENT ADDITIONAL HEAT TO SAID HEATED WET DESICCANT TO CAUSE SEPARATION OF WATER VAPOR THEREFROM AND PRODUCE SAID HEATED REGENERATED DESICCANT; AND RECYCLING SAID HEATED REGENERATED DESICCANT THROUGH SAID WET DESICCANT PHASE IN SAID SEPARATION ZONE TO SAID CONTACTING STEP.